Revelations of the Ultimate Kind
by PrueAndyForever
Summary: ANNOUNCEMENT. Piper, Phoebe and Paige try to move on with their lives after the Ultimate Battle but come to learn some shocking truths about their oldest sister. A new prophecy is unearthed, an old evil is resurrected, and Billie uncovers a secret.
1. Prologue

**Title: Revelations of the Ultimate Kind **

**Rating: **T (Teen) ... for some mild language and mild violence

**Disclaimer: **I do not own **Charmed. **It is strictly the property of Constance Burge, Aaron Spelling, Brad Kern, the WB Network and any other affiliates. This fan-fiction borrows the use of characters, storyline concepts, and themes associated with the show and is strictly being used for entertainment purposes only. No financial profit is being made.

(Edited: See added **disclaimer** content in **Chapter 29 **of story 1/12/08).

**Summary: **This story is a continuation from season 8 (a sort of season 9) and it picks up six months after the Ultimate Battle with Billie and Christy_**. **_

While moving on with their lives in the wake of the Ultimate Battle, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige come to learn some shocking truths regarding their oldest sister, Prue, and their destiny as the Charmed Ones. Billie struggles to overcome the loss of her parents and deals with the guilt left behind after having to kill her sister. However, she also encounters some shocking discoveries about herself, discoveries that connect her to the very people she betrayed during the Ultimate Battle - The Charmed Ones.

In the wake of many secrets and revelations along the way, the sisters struggle to pursue their true calling as a hidden prophecy is unearthed and an unexpected evil, once thought to be dead, resurfaces to eliminate the Charmed Ones and their progeny for good. What does this mean for the future?

***

Hi. I just wanted to leave a quick introduction.

My pen-name is **PrueAndyForever** and I've been on this site for some time. I've read some wonderful fictions here and have left some feedback but I never quite gathered up the courage to try one on my own, **lol**. So here I am giving it a shot for the very first time. All feedback is welcome, good or bad, just as long as criticism is for constructive purposes. Thanks.

* * *

**Prologue **

_**Salem, Massachusetts October 31, 2006**_

A moderately sized home sat back against the beautiful landscape that was Salem. The small sign advertising its sale stood in the front yard and could be viewed by passersby coming and going in each direction. It was another typical, fall day and the autumn breeze continued to shuffle all the scattered leaves across the cemented drive-way and unto the manicured lawn. While the evening sun was preparing to set, children of all ages were getting dressed up in their costumes. They walked up and down the streets and giggled with glee while they were engaging in the age old tradition of trick-or-treating.

However, inside the home, a woman in her thirties sat back against her rocking chair, with one leg curled up underneath her. The chair she sat upon was centered in the middle of a child's bedroom on top of a plush carpet. Long, flowing hair fell down the woman's back in waves and she clutched a tiny, brown-colored, teddy bear close to her chest. She was in deep thought and held the same solemn expression on her face from an hour ago. Surrounding her in every direction, were framed photographs of a beautiful blond-haired little girl adorning the walls. The child's bright, blue eyes appeared to shine with radiant life but to the anguished mother they appeared to be crying out for help.

Marie closed her eyes against the onslaught of tears that threatened to spill. It was much easier to subdue the pain and the aching in her chest if she just didn't have to look at the photos. All of the pictures had been shot with such loving care by the photographer and that was because she, herself, had taken them.

"Meow!"

Marie's eyes shot open as she was startled out of her reflective state. The sound and feel of the cat pouncing on her lap caused her to involuntarily jump.

"Kit!" she exclaimed. "You scared me girl, don't do that!" she scolded as she began petting the cat. Then, she looked towards the bedroom door, noticing that it was slightly ajar. "How did you get in here, anyway, I thought I closed that door?" she questioned out loud. While kissing the top of Kit's head, she turned her attention towards the window inside the room. "Must be the draft," she muttered.

While rocking back and forth, Marie felt a chill pass through her and she shivered. Gently, she placed Kit back on the floor and proceeded in the direction of the small window. When she stopped in front of it, she could feel the breeze drifting through. Even though she was wearing a sweater, she still brought her arms up around her upper body. She began rubbing her hands over her arms in an attempt to generate some body warmth. Marie hated the cold and preferred the warmer climate. She had lived on the East Coast her entire life but had a hard time adjusting to the shift in colder weather during the fall and winter months. As she shut the window and latched the lock, she noticed all of the small children and their parents interacting as they enjoyed Halloween together.

_Molly, _she thought.

As she began reflecting on the past, a fresh set of tears threatened to spill again ...

_It was one year ago, today, that Molly vanished. Halloween was a special day for her daughter because it was her birthday too and she had just turned three. After a party celebration and collecting lots of candy, she had put her daughter to bed only to find her missing the next morning. She could still remember the sweet smell of lavender, from the bath given that night, while bending over to give Molly her good-night kisses. _

_"Momma it tickles," she had responded when her mother's long hair brushed against her face during the affectionate onslaught._

Marie smiled at the memory but then quickly turned sullen again. Today was her daughter's fourth birthday and she wasn't here to celebrate it. However, she quickly reprimanded herself so the tears wouldn't fall.

_She's coming back. I know she's still alive. _

She couldn't explain how she knew but she just felt it. At times she could have sworn that she felt Molly's presence with her right in this very room. However, if she chose to share this particular insight with Michael, he would probably tell her that she was just being irrational, emotional, or reading into something that obviously wasn't there.

Michael.

Her husband was her rock and the only comfort left in her life. And, oddly enough, it wasn't like they just shared some typical, random bond that so many other husbands and wives happened to share. No, they seemed to have some eerie "connection" or a weird "feeling" - almost as if they had known each other their whole lives or had been together during some other lifetime. Honestly, Marie believed she felt it more than Michael did at times. But the simple truth was they hadn't known each other their whole lives and Marie didn't even know if she believed in the concept of past lives. It was just that it was the only connective comparison she could think of to put the feeling into words.

Then there were also the other similarities. For instance, both she and Michael had no siblings; their parents were deceased. Therefore, this left them no extended family to lean on for any type of support - support that was needed very much during the past year. There were no family members who could attest to the fact that they were good people who would never harm their child. However, in spite of the isolation, Marie still possessed a calm. This calm reassured her that whatever Michael and she went through, good or bad, they would stick through it together. Knowing this was the only thing that offered her any kind of solace throughout the chaos of the previous year.

Law Enforcement had been completely baffled. During the investigation last year, there hadn't been any signs of forced entry into the home, no evidence of an intruder, and there were no signs of a struggle. In the morning, there was an empty bed and one missing little girl. So what exactly had happened to the child? That one question was left on everyone's mind when police were unable to turn up an explanation. Unfortunately, in the days that followed, things had turned pretty bad. When no evidence turned up, all suspicion turned in their direction. However, without evidence, no official charges were ever filed against them. The once peaceful town that the woman had been so mysteriously drawn to now held nothing but hostile stares and wayward glances from neighbors and co-workers alike. Friends who were suppose to be there turned their backs when they came to the understanding that associating with them wasn't exactly in their best interests.

Marie used to stop inside of a small shop that housed herbal remedies for natural healing, healing crystals, books, and other assortments and accessories that the town associated with the occult. Of course, prior to the incident involving her daughter, Marie came and went as often as she wanted without much fuss or attention paid to her. However, now, on one day in particular following her daughter's disappearance, she exited the small store and encountered two older women from the town who were glaring at her. She continued to walk past them trying her hardest to ignore the heavy feelings of scrutinizing that accosted her.

_"She's a witch, I tell you," one of the old ladies could be heard saying to the other. "She shops in that store everyday. Who knows what she did with that poor little girl."_

_"Yes, the poor child. She made her disappear. Probably sacrificed the poor thing," came the response of the second woman._

Marie shivered against the unpleasant memories. As she closed the shade on the window, she sighed and reflected on the upcoming move.

_This place is starting to hold too many bad memories; __maybe moving away is for the best._

Honestly, it had come to her as no surprise when her husband accepted a new position with the New York City Police Department. The job transfer required relocation and the offer felt like a subtle way of asking them to get out of town because they were no longer welcome there. However, despite the open feelings of hostility which was more than reason enough to accept the relocation, her husband was more than willing anyway because it signaled a fresh start for both of them. So they had proceeded to put their house on the market and were now preparing for the big move.

While walking back towards her daughter's bed, Marie twisted her wedding band around her finger. Her thoughts briefly returned to her husband and how they had met five years ago. Michael had been working as a detective and she, herself, as a free-lance photographer for a local magazine. She had really loved her job, even though it hadn't paid her very much in the beginning. Photography had been a hobby of Marie's for as long as she could remember. However, after her marriage and the birth of Molly, she opted to be a stay-at-home mom and raise their daughter.

As she sat on the small bed that hadn't been slept in for a year, she gently placed the small teddy bear back against the pillow and stared at it. This particular stuffed animal had been Molly's favorite. After she had gotten it, her precious little angel had refused to sleep without it. It had been a gift from her daddy on her first birthday. More memories began to invade her thoughts but she knew she had no time to become enveloped within her emotions again. She needed to finish packing and be on time for the move. The movers would be here.

Marie sighed as she looked around the room. She was having a hard time bringing herself to strip away the last, remaining connection to Molly that was left. Somewhere along the way, Marie had convinced herself that keeping the room completely intact meant some kind of reassurance for her daughter's safe return. Since her little girl's disappearance last fall, Marie had been experiencing these odd sensations of deja vu. For whatever reason, Molly's vanishing had triggered these deep-seated feelings of loss. It felt like a loss or separation from other people, a loss of identity, and feeling out of place within her own life. She kept receiving this impending sense that she was destined to do more and not only that, but that she should be doing more.

Kit jumped up on the bedspread. Breaking Marie from her reflective state once again, she let out another meow. Marie picked Kit up for the second time and hugged her close.

"I know. I miss her too," she cooed. Kit purred and Marie's sorrow quickly turned to hardened determination. She had been going through these motions alot lately. "But I promise we're going to get her back, okay? We have to," her voice cooed to the friendly cat.

Marie refused to give up hope and she turned herself back to that inner strength that was starting to take root inside her again. She didn't know where that inner strength came from; however, it would pop up every now and again. Then, accompanied by an exasperated sigh, she finally stood back up from the chair with the cat in her arms. Before exiting the room, she turned around and took one final glance before she closed the door on part of the past. As she left the room, she carried her final thought with her.

_Time to get those boxes._

**ooooo**

_**Underworld **_

Deep in the Underworld abyss, a dark cloaked figure paced the ground floor within a magically shielded cavern. The ornate, pentagram formation in the center of his robe signified that he was the sole, remaining survivor of the Triad. In this moment, he felt extreme anger. However, he also wasn't alone. A young woman also stood with him inside of the hidden lair, watching the lone Triad member from a safe distance.

_It wasn't suppose to happen this way. How could they have failed so miserably? _

This one thought burned in his mind. He couldn't understand it. A year ago, he had practically handed over the power that was necessary to defeat the Charmed Ones once and for all. The combined power coming from Billie Jenkins, and the little girl he had kidnapped, should have made 'Christy' and Billie an unstoppable pair. He could almost taste the success in his mouth, the ultimate destruction of the Charmed Ones - it was the whole reason he had recruited the Dogon to kidnap the child last year on All Hallows Eve. They had needed to tap into the child's magic on this special day because she hadn't come into her abilities yet and without the power from All Hallows Eve assisting him, her magic would have remained undetectable. But they had failed to defeat the Charmed Ones and now the child was also gone from his grasp as well. The remaining Triad member felt his impatience growing the more he thought about the entire dilemma. Suddenly, he began to unleash his frustration at the young woman standing before him.

"Damn it!" he cursed. "How could you have failed me?" he spat, his back facing the young woman standing in his lair. "You mean to tell me, that in addition to failing me with the Charmed Ones, you couldn't even keep watch over a small child since your return?" he seethed. "You've let her escape!"

The young woman with the golden shade of hair and the icy brown stare strode over to the remaining Triad member with as much confidence as she could muster. The Triad member stood confidently in one position, fiery eyes intact, his demeanor just daring her to say something to set him off and take her out.

"Look!" the young woman seethed back at him, gritting her teeth together. "How was I supposed to know, when Billie vanquished me, that the little girl's powers would be restored to her, huh?" she countered back in her defense, stopping a few inches away from the Triad member's face. "It's not my fault she got away!"

Billie.

The Charmed Ones were still alive and that was bad enough; however, she was yet another reason the Triad member was in such an uproar. With Billie's power back in the hands of the greater good, he considered her just as much as a threat as the Charmed Ones. The mental debate on what to do about the situation continued to play out inside his mind because he fully acknowledged how Billie would pose as a big threat to the future.

_Dumain was an idiot. If I had been a Triad all those years ago, I would have made sure the Dogon had snatched Billie so she could be turned. He shouldn't have snatched her powerless sister, Christy. _

The Triad member didn't understand why Dumain and the other Triad members had waited. Why lure Billie to her sister instead of just taking her? The Triad should have taken Billie, waited until her powers had developed, and if they didn't they could have just killed her.

The Triad member glared at the young woman and brought an energy ball to life in the palm of his hand. But he didn't say a word in response to her bold declaration. The young woman's eyes narrowed in on the energy ball begging to be released from the Triad's hand. Lana just smirked in his direction before confidently taunting him.

"Go ahead," she snorted. "Vanquish me if you must," she almost sounded bored by the prospect. "It won't be permanent and you already know that. I'll just resurrect sooner or later. Only the Ultimate Power can really destroy me!" she sneered back.

The Triad member knew she spoke the truth for she was a part of them. Lana was the daughter of a Triad, which meant that their deaths were never permanent because they were part of an unconquerable breed of demons. First they would resurrect in spirit form and then complete the transformation back into their physical bodies. The Ultimate Power was the only threat that stood in their way and he was about to make sure the Charmed Ones never got a hold of it. Their only remaining advantage appeared to be that the Charmed Ones were under the mistaken belief that they had already eliminated the threat pertaining to this new power-base. However little did they realize, the other Triad members would eventually be back like Lana and they would start with their plans all over again. However, instead of giving Lana the satisfaction, he opted to mock her in return.

"Now careful, Lana." He allowed the energy ball to extinguish in his hand before turning around with his back facing her. "Your arrogance will be your undoing. You can clearly see how Dumain's over-zealousness sealed his fate."

"Dumain may have screwed up but I didn't fail!" Lana screeched in annoyance from across the cavern. "I did what I was told to do!" she continued to argue in her defense. "Dumain underestimated Billie and the Charmed Ones, not me! Besides, I had Billie where I wanted her. But that stupid Cupid ruined everything. Him and that stupid ring of his ... " she trailed off with irritation, remembering the day she traveled back in time with Dumain to warn the Triad. Dumain had gotten a hold of Cupid's ring.

"Lana?" the Triad interrupted to make his point clear to her. "You still would have died with or without that stupid Cupid and his ring," he stressed, reminding her of the events from that day. The Triad member took a deep breath before continuing. "Besides, it was Billie who projected them back to you - not the Cupid or the ring."

"Minor details," she rolled her eyes at him.

"But," he finally decided to relent, sneering after sensing her annoyance with him. "You do make a point. We could have had two of the sisters out of the way the first time around if that Cupid and his ring hadn't stood in the way and changed history," he reflected with no ounce of regret for the sisters. "That was the closest the Underworld has ever come to eliminating the Charmed Ones. With them out of the way, we could have concentrated on the Twice-Blessed Generation. Now, we'll have to worry about more of them cropping up in the future."

The entire Underworld was in utter chaos with the quickly spreading news that the Triad had been vanquished once and for all and this left the remaining Triad member on high alert. Demons of all types were vying for power and making plays for it. It would be a long time before the Underworld was completely re-organized again. That was why he needed to remain in hiding until the time was right but he planned to use the situation to his advantage.

The Triad's temper suddenly flared back to life.

"But if the Charmed Ones ever find out the truth about the Ultimate Power, you're doomed. We all are," he added. "We need to figure out a way to make sure the Ultimate Power never comes into being. And I'm fairly confident not even the Elders should interfere and stop us on this," he reflected. "I can say with certainty that they don't want the Ultimate Power coming into play anymore than we do."

Lana continued to watch him and listen.

"But Billie's no longer an option in getting to the Charmed Ones," he concluded. "So that means we're going to have to settle for taking out one of the sisters ourselves." A smirk crossed over the Triad's lips. "And I know just the one!" He proceeded to release an evil laugh. "Then we'll take care of the rest one at a time."

Lana interjected. "Yes, but that will only accomplish getting the sisters off of our backs. It doesn't stop the next generation from coming after us. They'll possess the power too!" she argued.

"Yes, I know," the Triad member acknowledged. "But one threat at a time my dear, Lana. Not all of the Twice-Blessed Generation exists yet and the ones that already do aren't even at their full potential. We still have time to stop them. It's the sisters we need to be concerned with first and foremost," he stressed.

"Maybe," Lana accepted. "But I wouldn't discount Billie's use just yet," the wheels in her brain were turning. "We still may be able to use her to our advantage." She had an idea formulating in her mind, one that may place her back in Billie's life again.

The Triad rolled his eyes in response to her absurd suggestion. He turned back around to face her. Slowly, he began to walk in her direction.

"What?" she sneered, catching his reaction.

"With all due respect, Billie thinks she's killed you. She's already proved her loyalty to the Charmed Ones by projecting them back in time to you, Dumain, and the rest of the Triad. Do you honestly believe she's going to keep your 'miraculous' resurrection a secret from them? NO! I fail to see how that's to our advantage!" he spat back.

"She wouldn't have to keep it a secret. If I could just convince her that 'our' power somehow saved me, she might still believe that I can be saved. That I'm still her sister and not infected by evil anymore," Lana argued back. "Or I'll think of something else but, either way, I may be able to gain her trust back!"

The Triad member considered her proposition.

"But even if you can convince Billie, what's to stop the Charmed Ones from vanquishing you once they find out you're still alive?" he logically reasserted. "They won't be as apt to buy your resurrection story as easily as Billie may."

"Not right away but that's where Billie still comes into play," she propositioned. "Billie and the sisters are witches but more importantly, they're human, right? Mortals!" Lana stressed. "Which means, at some point, their human emotions will always get in the way. That will be their weakness again - I'll pretend that I was being used all along or that it really wasn't me. They won't try and vanquish me unless they're absolutely sure about me," she insisted.

"What does this have to do with Billie?" the Triad member asked impatiently.

"Look, she's lost a sister. And her parents. So why wouldn't she want to believe there's still a chance that her long, lost sister can still be saved? If I can pull that small glimmer of hope out of her, I could work to exploit it. I'll work on making Billie vulnerable by creating doubt with her, while you do what needs to be done with the Charmed Ones from here," Lana argued back.

The Triad turned away again, walking in the opposite direction with both hands clasped behind his back. He carefully considered her proposal before agreeing to it.

"So be it!" he finally yielded.

Then the Triad member stopped walking, re-approached her, and was standing only inches from within her face. Lana stood with an abundance of cocky pride spilling off of her.

"However," he stressed to her. "If Billie or the Charmed Ones find out that you're not the real Christy, that you never were 'her', then you're on your own," came his warning. "And don't even think about double-crossing me to save yourself. Because, well, let's just say that the Ultimate Power won't be the only thing you'll have to worry about coming after you," he threatened her. "Do I make myself clear?"

Lana smirked and rolled her eyes at him.

"How would they find out? Unless you plan on exposing me to them?" she mocked him. Her face turned serious again. "But I need those powers back. You need to find that little girl again so we can re-strip her powers. I'll need them to shield me against Billie. I can't exactly access my demonic ones in front of her, or them, without sending up a red flag if you know what I mean!" she pointed out.

"Yes, I know. But let me handle that," replied the Triad member. His mind was racing with all possible scenarios on how he could accomplish that particular task at hand. "I know just the demon to track the child down," he concluded with ease, his mind drifting to thoughts of succeeding where Dumain had failed.

Dumain.

This particular demon had one goal in mind before his own vanquish. Which was to capture the Ultimate Power and destroy the Charmed Ones with it so he could become a Triad member. It hadn't been a bad plan but he had miscalculated his advantage. A time-leaping demon had been responsible for locating Billie and her origins for Dumain. Then he and the rest of the Triad had set up a plan by using a Dogon demon to snatch her sister, Christy Jenkins, so they could lure Billie into the Underworld years later. Dumain believed Billie to be the Ultimate Power who could one day destroy the Charmed Ones and their progeny. However, when drawing his conclusions about Billie, Dumain had been close to the truth but had missed the mark.

Furthermore, Dumain had been the first demon to successfully steal an ancient scroll from an apothecary of good magic. He had hidden within the shadows, allowing other demons to credit themselves with stealing the scroll, in order to keep his identity a secret. This particular scroll was thought to have prophesied the coming of a Twice-Blessed Child, believed to be none other than Wyatt Matthew Halliwell. Wyatt was the first born son resulting out of a forbidden union between a Charmed One and a former White-lighter. Around the time of his birth, Dumain had used two demons for hire, a male and female demon, to snatch baby Wyatt upon his birth. The plan? To acquire both the Twice-Blessed Power and the Ultimate Power and use the combined powers, in the future, to assist Billie and 'Christy' in the ultimate battle against the Charmed Ones. However, ultimately, the plan failed when he didn't get a hold of Wyatt or his power. Then, later on, his plans for Billie failed because she was not the power he sought. The Triad member also presently knew that upon careful examination of the prophecy one would discover that its content actually revealed the destiny of an entire Twice-Blessed Generation - not just one child. It would be a new generation that would flourish through the Charmed line. Unfortunately for Dumain, he had screwed up in the translation during his quest to seize the power.

_Too bad he didn't know then what I know now. I won't repeat his mistakes._

He resumed his pacing. This made him reflect on how he, himself, became a Triad member. A year ago, he had located the young child with similar abilities to Wyatt, had successfully stripped her powers away during a ritual, and then offered them to Dumain and the Triad for 'Christy' (aka. Lana) to borrow. In exchange, he was to become an official Triad member. He was initiated and patiently waited in the background for the demise of the Charmed Ones to pass. Now, he stood in control of making that happen and he vowed he would be successful.

Lana was about to shimmer out from the Underworld when a sudden thought struck her. "Gideon?" she finally addressed him by his real name. "I'm just curious about something since I never asked. What else will you be getting out of doing this?" she asked. "You're already a Triad."

The former Elder, turned-demon, stopped abruptly in his tracks. With his back turned to her and a far off gleam in his eyes he responded in an even tone.

"Revenge!"

* * *

**To Be Continued**: Hehe. Okay, so this is the set-up to the rest of the story. Basically, for anyone who missed it, I've just revealed that the Christy we saw from season 8 was not the **real **Christy at all. For the intense purposes of my story, I've given you her real identity, which is **Lana**. More about Lana and her 'history' will pop up later on in other chapters. Knowing that fact is important/key, just so you don't get confused while reading, because there will be times that Lana still gets referenced as 'Christy.' The real Christy's fate will be revealed too.


	2. Imaginary Friend or Foe?

**Chapter One: Imaginary Friend or Foe?**

_**Halliwell Manor**_

Piper Halliwell had just finished folding the last of the laundry.

After a few hours of house cleaning, it was her final chore of the day before making dinner for her family. Then, she could settle the boys down for the evening and relax with Leo. Spending quality time alone with her husband was something she was desperately looking forward to. She was just so grateful to finally have him back once and for all and to be free to lead a normal life. Between faking their own demise, confronting the Angels of Death and Destiny, losing Leo, battling the Triad, and squaring off with Christy and Billie, they had all been through so much in the past year. Then adding to all of that, it was tough adjusting to living alone in the manor without her sisters. Phoebe had gotten her own apartment while Paige had married Henry and moved in with him. Sure, she still had Leo, the boys, and even Billie in the manor. But it just wasn't the same as before.

As Piper made her way upstairs, folded laundry in hand, she could have sworn that she was hearing laughter travel down the second floor corridor and it was distinctly coming from Wyatt's bedroom. Leo had taken Chris with him for the day to give Piper a break, Billie was back in L.A. closing up affairs resulting from the death of her parents; therefore, it was just Piper and Wyatt alone inside the house.

_Who's laughing with Wyatt?_

Piper approached the bedroom door. Gently, she placed her ear against the door and heard Wyatt laugh once again. Then, she noticed his tone turn a little more serious.

"No's. You's put it here like this!" Wyatt exclaimed in his excited, toddler-like dribble. "Like my daddy does."

Piper proceeded to open the door gently and then stepped inside. She placed the folded clothes on top of the dresser beside her and looked in Wyatt's direction. His back was turned to her, playing with his building blocks, and he appeared to be giving instructions to somebody on the right way to build with them. Only there was nobody sitting across from him. Piper continued to quietly observe from the side-lines for a little bit longer.

"Yes! Me too. Me can orb too!" he suddenly blurted out of nowhere and continued on with what appeared to be his one-way conversation.

"Wyatt, honey, who are you talking to?" Piper gently asked as she walked over and then knelt down beside her son.

Wyatt turned to his side and looked at his mother. "My friend," he answered her back in a shy mannerism. He turned his attention back down at the floor and continued to build with his blocks.

"Your friend?" Piper exclaimed in mock surprise, in order to play along with her son. "Wow. What's his name?"

_Great, just what we need. Another imaginary friend. _

Wyatt shook his head adamantly. "Nah-uh. She a girl. Like you, mommy."

"Oh, I see!"

"But not big like you. She small like me," Wyatt made it his business to inform his mother.

Piper glanced to the empty space surrounding her son. "Right," she nodded her head.

"Her name Molly."

A female demon named Molly?

The last so-called 'friend' turned out to be a demon who wanted to turn Wyatt evil. Piper made a note to herself to remember to pull out the Book of Shadows later on and take a peak inside. It wouldn't hurt and while a part of her knew she could very well be over-reacting, she still couldn't help it. They had been demon-free for six months now but it was force of habit to be suspicious. Plus it was always much better to be safe rather than sorry. For a second time, she turned to look at the unoccupied space in front of Wyatt. Piper didn't see nor feel anything strange but that didn't necessarily mean anything.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Molly. That's a very pretty name you have," she replied as she continued to engage herself inside her son's make-believe world. However, suddenly, Piper noticed the downcast look in her son's eyes so she sat herself down and then snuggled closer to him. "What's the matter, sweetie?"

"Molly sad," he responded.

"She's sad?" inquired Piper. "How come she's sad?"

"Because of the bad man!" he exclaimed. "He not good like daddy."

Piper felt herself cringe involuntarily. Forcing herself to continue and play along with him she then asked, "What bad man, sweetie?"

"I don't like him," Wyatt made a face, a clear look of distaste covering it. "She want to go home, like me. But he mean. He not letting her go home. So she find me and plays with me now!" he explained to his mother.

Piper hugged her son and then kissed the top of his head in response. "Aw. Well, baby, you tell her that she can go home anytime she wants to, okay? That bad man doesn't come to this house." Then she got up to resume the chore she had initially come in here to finish.

"Okay," Wyatt muttered under his breath.

He didn't sound very convinced. Piper sighed and then packed the clothes that she had placed earlier on top of the dresser, away into the proper drawers.

"Mommy's going to start dinner. I'll come and get you when it's ready, alright?"

Wyatt nodded his head in response and Piper exited the room closing the door behind her. She remained stationary for a moment while her mind did battle with the gnawing sensation taking root in her gut. It was a feeling that told her something big was coming. However, instead, she opted to shake the bad feeling off and walk away.

**ooooo**

_**The Bay Mirror**_

Phoebe Halliwell sat at her work desk with a smile plastered across her beautiful face.

Her smile gave her mood away because things in every area of her life were definitely looking up. In the past six months, her relationship with Coop had been progressing nicely, in fact, they had another dinner date tonight. He was the best thing the Elders had given her and she certainly deserved it after all the hard work she had put in for them. Also, her career was amazingly successful. The advice column was doing exceptionally well, averaging more readers per week than the target quota required. Then last, but not least, she was now living in her own apartment. It wasn't that she didn't miss being with her sisters because she did but she needed her space. Living on her own again offered her a sense of personal freedom that she craved and hadn't felt for a long time. Not since her days in New York before she had come back home. She had been forced to remain at home with her sisters out of necessity because Prue and Piper had needed her there for the Power of Three.

Prue.

A sad smile crossed her face. They had so many moments were they didn't get along but those fights never severed the bond that they had shared. Most people wouldn't have understood the bond because alot of their arguments got so heated and then just erupted. But those arguments usually generated out of a place of love and concern not hate. After all, Prue was the eldest sister and had felt it had been her role to guide and protect especially after their mother had died. There was only one incident that came close to destroying the bond they shared and that was Roger. Phoebe had vowed never to let anything like that come between them again. But, sadly, fate had intervened, taking the choice out of their hands completely. It had been five long years since 'death' had come too soon and had stolen Prue away from them forever.

It was unfair.

She, Piper, and Paige had been through alot in the past five years following Prue's untimely death. Phoebe loved Paige more than life itself but she still missed Prue alot and had often wondered at times what could have been. However, it wasn't a feeling she had been allowed to reflect upon too often because of the constant demonic crises they encountered over the years. There had also been Paige's feelings to consider. She knew Paige was already sensitive to the fact that she felt like she was merely a replacement for Prue - that she somehow didn't measure up to what Prue had been and Piper made no point to hide that fact in the beginning. Of course, Piper had been grieving at the time, and understandably so, but she came to love Paige just as much as she did. The truth was that Prue and Paige were both special and unique in their own ways and neither could ever replace the other. If Prue had lived, she was positive that she would have felt the same way about Paige as she and Piper did now.

Phoebe was brought out of her contemplative state by the ringing of her phone. She reached for it. "Phoebe Halliwell's office, how may I help you?" came the sweet reply.

"Phoebe. Hey, it's me."

"Piper? Hey, sweetie. What's up, you sound exhausted," came Phoebe's concerned tone. Seconds ticked by with no response coming back from the other end. "Piper? Is something wrong?" she pushed.

"Nah, it's nothing," Piper's tone was full of denial, a denial that didn't sound very convincing. "I'm just bored sitting over here all by myself and there's no one else in the house with me besides Wyatt." Phoebe heard her sigh. "Leo's still not back yet and Billie's not even here to talk to."

Phoebe pondered that for a moment. She knew that out of all three of them, Piper still held onto some unresolved anger and resentment when it came to Billie and her involvement in the Ultimate Battle.

"She called the house one time about a couple days ago," Piper continued on. "I forgot when she's even supposed to be getting back here," she shared. "Not that I'm rushing it or anything."

Phoebe could hear the blender operating in the background making it fairly obvious that Piper was in the middle of preparing dinner while talking with her at the same time. "Yeah, I'm suppose to meet up with Billie later on to help finish pack what's left of her parents belongings," Phoebe answered back. "Coop was going to drop me off there. Poor kid, she's had a tough year. She's lost everything," she reflected sadly.

Phoebe felt connected to Billie for some reason. She could relate to her and despite her betrayal earlier this year she was able to forgive and let go. Billie was a good kid with a good heart and her intentions meant well. She wanted to save her sister and evil had used that particular vulnerability against her. She was already an extremely powerful witch and would be even better one day. She just needed to be guided in the right direction. The greater good was lucky to have her on its side. And besides, it's not like evil hadn't gotten to herself or her sisters in the past. She would have felt like the biggest hypocrite holding it against Billie indefinitely. In fact, there were a few times the sisters had almost destroyed themselves had it not been for someone else's intervention.

"Well, how about you join Wyatt and me for dinner before you head over there?" Piper suddenly offered. "I could really use the extra company tonight," she stressed.

"Oh, sorry sweetie, no can do!" Phoebe declined. "I'm meeting up with Coop for dinner right after I get out of work," she explained with a touch of regret evident in her voice. However, Phoebe could sense that something was bothering her sister. "But, come on. I know that tone," she teased. "Something's on your mind. So speak!" Phoebe playfully commanded her sister while she cradled the phone against her right shoulder and used her free hand to organize the pile of folders on her desk.

Piper halted what she was doing in the kitchen and carefully contemplated her next choice of words. She really wanted to share her concerns about Wyatt but Phoebe sounded so elated about her evening out with Coop later on. Piper couldn't help but to smile because she could remember what that felt like. Therefore, instead of sharing her concerns like she should have, she decided to try and let it go.

"Piper?" Phoebe pushed. "I'm waiting!"

"Eh, you, never-mind," she answered in return, trying to sound playful. "I think I'm just being paranoid, that's all. Don't let my head issues and lonely jitters ruin your night out."

"Piper, paranoid about what?" Phoebe pushed again. She wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily. If something was wrong she wanted to know about it.

"Nothing, but it's just ..." she stammered out. "Do you remember that professor you had a couple years back? The one that taught a child psychology course and you submitted that paper to her on imaginary friends?"

"Yeah, what about her?" inquired Phoebe. She waited anxiously for Piper to continue.

"I'm not sure but I think Wyatt may have another one of those types of new 'friends', if you understand what I mean. I walked in on him having a conversation by himself earlier. She did say that was normal around their age, right?" Piper asked, her tone filled with motherly concern.

Phoebe let out a deep breath and then laughed. She had to admit, Piper actually had her worried there for a minute. It was a perfectly natural reaction considering all of the 'family emergencies' they had to battle with over the years. Although, Piper didn't really find the humor behind it.

"Hey, what's so funny?" she retorted. "I'm being serious over here!"

"Piper, I know but is that all?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, if you consider 'that's all' a part of the time when walking in on a new 'friend' meant we were really walking in on a demon," Piper retorted back, "then, yeah, that's all!" she stressed.

"Okay, Piper, calm down. I get it, you're worried. But if I remember correctly, we vanquished that demon's sorry ass. He's not coming back after Wyatt." Phoebe tried to sound reassuring.

"Yeah, but there are more demons out there," reasoned Piper. "Look, just because we've been demon-free for six months doesn't mean we're completely off the demonic radar. We need to be careful."

"I know, Piper, and I agree. We should still be cautious but isn't it possible you're just over-reacting and reading into something that isn't there?" Phoebe reasoned.

Piper sighed, clearly feeling some frustration. "Phoebe, I get that's completely possible but I don't know. I just have this sinking feeling that something is still not right and ..." suddenly Piper was cut off by a loud crashing noise in the background.

Phoebe heard it and called out for her sister. "Piper? Piper are you still there?" she called out. But no response came. "Piper, are you alright?" she tried once more. "Answer me, what the hell was that?"

However, there was still no response from the other end. Damn_, _Phoebe thought as she slammed the phone against the receiver and jumped up from her desk. She quickly made her way over to the coat rack, grabbed her jacket, and then reached inside her pocket for her cell phone. So much for being demon free. She exited the door with one final thought.

Paige!

**ooooo**

_**South Bay Social Services Department**_

Paige got up from her desk, stretching and yawning at the same time. It had been a long, tiring day and she felt exhausted because of it. She had just finished going over some of her case files and made the appropriate adjustments to her day calender when she looked over at the clock. Almost time to go. So much to do but so little time, Paige thought to herself. Nevertheless, Paige loved her job. She was satisfied with being back and being involved with social work. It had been her original passion to become a social worker but then she had discovered her witch heritage and magical destiny.

Paige reflected on her current state of affairs. It had been a strange six months, to say the least, with all of the demon fighting ceasing. So she was glad for her job. Something needed to fill the major gap in her life where magic had been. Not that she didn't want a normal life, mind anyone. But she had to admit to herself that without her magical life, she felt somewhat lost. After all, fighting demons with Piper and Phoebe, in Prue's absence, had given her a sense of purpose. It gave her a reason to belong with her sisters but now with no demons to battle, would they still need her as much as before? A part of Paige knew she was being ridiculous even dwelling on such things because deep inside she knew without a doubt that Piper and Phoebe loved and accepted her without question. However, there was still that tiny, hidden part of her that remained insecure because Piper and Phoebe shared something with Prue that they could never share with her - a childhood together and a much longer history. And now they all lived separately, so would this create an emotional distance between the three of them?

She pushed her insecurities into the background.

So, now, here she sat at her desk once again. After all, she was Paige Matthews: New wife, sister, aunt, social worker, whitelighter and - Ex-Charmed One? She wasn't quite sure if that was the appropriate description, after all, she still maintained complete use of all her powers. And she was still adjusting to married life with Henry which was proving to be a challenge. They already had their first major disagreement which she chose not to dwell on at the moment.

"Paige!" a masculine voice called out as he entered her office. Paige looked up to notice that it was her new supervisor calling for her attention.

"Hey, Mr. Brennan, what can I do for you?" replied Paige.

"Yeah, I got a new case file that just came across my desk. I'm assigning it to you. A little girl around four, and that's an educated guess based off of the testimony of two eye witnesses. She was found wandering across the Golden Gate Bridge. No signs yet of any parents or legal guardians filing a missing persons report. So it's being treated as criminal and unlawful abandonment by law enforcement and we're handling it that way too," he instructed.

"Golden Gate Bridge! How on earth did she wind up there?" Paige asked with a concerned edge to her voice. She took the file to scan it over. Paige took her job as a social worker very seriously and she hated that small children could be subjected to the evils of this world. They were innocent.

"Don't know yet," he answered her question. "There are no eye-witness accounts claiming to have seen the child being dumped. A couple passing by spotted her by the guard-rail and stopped. All they were able to get out of her was a first name. Uh, Molly," he relayed the information to her. "They got a name and supposedly she told them she was three for a long time so we're not sure about that one."

Paige's heart went out to the little girl. How sad, she thought. But her immediate concern was to place her in a good home with someone that would love and care for her properly.

"Okay, then, I'll get right on it," she replied.

"Thanks Paige. She's under a 90-day emergency protective order so I'll need you to find a temporary placement for her right away. Just until we get more of the facts settled and find a more permanent living situation for her. Also, try and do some research on your own and see what you can pull up. I know we don't have alot to go on at this point but, hey, there's always a miracle," Mr. Brennan smirked.

"No problem." Paige smiled as her supervisor turned to leave her office.

What she really hoped to do was find whoever was responsible and help to land them right in jail where they belonged. She was about to get started on an Internet search when her cell phone rang and interrupted her. She grabbed for it and looked at the caller ID. Phoebe.

"Yup, hello," Paige answered in her usual, cheery tone as she stroked the keyboard pad. But the response from the other end was anything but cheery as she heard Phoebe out of breath.

"Paige, I need you to orb your butt over her right now and get us back to the manor. I think Piper might be in trouble!" came her urgent reply.

Paige didn't even hesitate. "I'm on my way. Where are you?"

"About to leave the Bay Mirror building," Phoebe answered. "Hurry!"

"Okay, be near the alley so nobody sees me orbing in!" Paige shut her cell phone and took a quick peek outside her office door to make sure no one was close by. Upon seeing nobody in close proximity, she allowed herself to materialize into a swirl of blue and white orbs.

**ooooo**

The loud, crashing sound had come from the ceiling overhead.

_Wyatt! _

Instinctively, Piper had thrown down the phone and made a quick dash for the staircase. Quickly, she made her way to the second floor bedroom only to open the door and find a demon standing directly in front of Wyatt, his force-field shielding him. The demon's glowing hand appeared to be reaching out for the shield.

"HEY!" Piper yelled in the demon's direction.

She threw up her hands like she had done so many times before, preparing to make the demon explode into millions of pieces, when all of a sudden he faded away.

_Uh-oh, not good. _

The sneering demon quickly shimmered in and became visible again behind Piper. He allowed his glowing hand to make contact with her shoulder and before she even had time to turn around and react, she felt an intense burning sensation make its way through her shirt. Then the demon was about to make his second move against Piper until the front door to the manor could be heard slamming shut with shouts of 'Piper' traveling up to the second floor. Piper had fallen to the ground clutching her shoulder as Wyatt helplessly looked on. He wanted to help his mommy but his mother had firmly instructed him not to bring down his shield.

"I'll be back to get what I came for!" replied the demon. It was the last thing Piper heard before the demon shimmered away for good.

**ooooo**

Phoebe and Paige rushed into the manor slamming the door behind them.

"PIPER?" they both shouted in unison as they frantically made a search for her on the first floor of the house. There was no sign of her in the kitchen or anywhere else downstairs so they rapidly ascended the stairs.

"Piper, answer us!" came Phoebe's desperate call as they finally reached Wyatt's bedroom door on the second floor.

There lying on the floor was Piper clutching her shoulder in agony while Wyatt had begun crying. Phoebe rushed over to pick him up, offered him some soothing words, and then hugged him close while Paige knelt down to check on their sister. She attempted to touch the afflicted area but received a hand push and a big loud wail_._

"Oh, you big baby," teased Paige. "We've dealt with worse before."

"Oh yeah? Well, tell that to the burning in my shoulder right now. It feels like something took a bite out of me," Piper retorted in her normal sisterly fashion.

Phoebe walked over to her sisters, Wyatt in her arms, to get a better look at the wound. "Ew! Paige?" she grimaced.

"Yeah, I got it," Paige replied.

She proceeded to place her hands over the "eye-sore" and concentrated really hard. A glowing, white light emanated from her hands and within a moment the shoulder was good as new.

"Thanks," came Piper's relieved response as Paige helped her off of the floor. Then, playing the earlier conversation over in her mind, she turned to Phoebe with a sarcastic barb directed at her. "Yeah, you were saying before? I think it was something about me and overreacting?!"

Phoebe released Wyatt and he made his way over to his mother.

"Okay, Piper, so sue me! The imaginary 'friend' isn't so imaginary after all. It's not like it's the first time I've been wrong about something," she mocked, poking fun at herself. "Or you for that matter," she added, pointing her index finger at her sister. "Besides, I implied that maybe you were overreacting. Not that you were definitely overreacting."

Piper just smirked and proceeded to roll her eyes while grabbing at Phoebe's finger. Paige just continued to stare between them trying to figure out what she had missed here.

"Yeah, whatever, Phoebes," Piper threw the dig back her way.

Phoebe just laughed in response and the moment helped to relieve some of the tension building up.

"Okay, uh, I think it's safe to say that I'm officially lost," Paige shook her head and rolled her eyes at the banter playing out between her two sisters.

"Alright, the attic everyone. Book of Shadows. We need to ID that demon before he comes after Wyatt again," Piper said taking charge.

"Wait, what imaginary friend?" Paige interjected, upon putting some more of the pieces to the conversation together in her mind.

"We'll explain it on the way," remarked Phoebe.

And with that the sisters made their way to the all too familiar attic that held their past, present, and future.

**ooooo**

Piper stood at the podium, flipping vigorously through the pages of the book. She wanted to believe so much that this part of their lives could be over for good but of course it couldn't be that simple. Both Phoebe and Paige were flanked at either side of her trying to be as helpful as they could.

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Paige offered up. "Earlier, you walked in on Wyatt having a conversation with what appeared to be nobody but himself."

"Yup, you got it!" acknowledged Piper.

"And then, later, this invisible demon appears out of nowhere ready to attack Wyatt. Which leads you to believe that this imaginary friend and invisible demon are one in the same?" Paige asserted.

"That would be the theory, Paige, yes," confirmed Piper. "How else could he have gotten so close to Wyatt without me knowing about it?"

Paige continued to try and piece together the bigger picture.

"Well, is it possible that the demon showing up is just a coincidence and that Wyatt really has an imaginary friend?" she speculated. "I mean, if the demon was the imaginary friend, didn't he have the perfect opportunity to get to Wyatt before you walked in on them? Wyatt didn't feel threatened when he was talking to his friend, right? He didn't react and put his shield up the first time. Why only the second time? Not to mention, you said the demon just left before Phoebe and I had the chance to get to you. Since when does a demon do that?" she pondered out loud.

Becoming frustrated that she was getting nowhere, Piper responded a little too harshly. "Paige, any damn number of things are a possibility right now, okay! And as for demons, hey, why is it that they do anything that they do?"

Paige was taken aback by Piper's sudden outburst. After all, she had only been doing her part in trying to help bring about an understanding to the current problem at hand. She tried defending her position without sounding offended but failed at it miserably.

"Well, like I said, it makes perfect sense if that demon isn't the imaginary friend," Paige snapped back. "Or just maybe, that demon really wasn't after Wyatt at all?" she retorted.

"Uh-huh, right, Paige," Piper cracked. "That's why he stuck around and took the time to burn a hole through my shoulder and why I found him hovering over my son with a flaming HAND!"

"The demon could have been here for us!" Paige countered. "Because god knows, it wouldn't be the first time 'evil' tried to use one of your sons to do it."

"Wait a minute here!" Piper sounded angry and offended at the same time. "Are we bringing up the Future Evil Wyatt situation again, because I thought that was over and done with."

"It is," Paige retorted, "I just meant to suggest that a demon can be using Wyatt to get to us, that's all."

"Or to get to him!" Piper's voice rose another notch.

Phoebe felt the tension mounting quickly and as the middle sister decided to intervene before things got too out of hand. She understood the frustration just as much as they did. After all, living a normal life free from demon-hunting was what she ideally wanted too. So she stepped in between them right away.

"Guys, stop!" Phoebe pleaded. "Snapping at each other isn't going to help us nor will it give us the answers we need. We have to work together here, okay? And the sooner we figure this all out and solve it, the quicker we can move on with our normal lives again," she reasoned.

Her small words of encouragement appeared to have their desired effect because she noticed both sisters visibly relax. Phoebe resumed flipping through the book and sighed. "Now, Piper, you said the demon could fade away and become invisible? And that he had a glowing hand that burned you?"

"Yup!" Piper answered and shook her head in affirmation.

"By any chance, did you happen to catch what color his hand glowed?" asked Phoebe.

"Uh, yeah, like I said when I walked in he had his hand practically up against Wyatt's shield. It was glowing some dark red color," Piper answered her question. "Maybe Ruby red?"

Phoebe nodded her head in response, while looking at the book. "Okay, I think I found him," came her quick reply.

"What? Where?" beckoned Piper as she made her way closer to Phoebe and the Book.

Paige leaned over to get a better look too.

"A Nauscas Demon," Phoebe read from the book. "Let's see. Well, they possess the ability to sense and track young or new witches who are just coming into their powers. They can fade, remain invisible when necessary, and the energy coming from their hand allows them to absorb the powers of any vulnerable, new witches. The energy coming from their hand also emits a heat so strong that it can scorch it's intended victim," she finished.

"Great, just what we need. A power-sucking demon that preys on young witch-lings. Does it get any worse?" Paige retorted rolling her eyes.

"Uh, actually it does," remarked Phoebe. "Nauscas demons are considered low-level but when they track a target it's only because they've been summoned and hired on by an upper-level demon," she added. Phoebe raised her eyes to meet with those of her sisters.

Piper threw her head back in exasperation. "Ah, come on!" she bellowed up towards the heavens "Of course, why would this be that easy?" she spat out. She shook her head and decided to give up on the idea of ever enjoying a normal life.

"Okay, so we have to find the bigger bad behind the curtain," surmised Paige with a shrug of her shoulders in the air. "But what I really don't get is, why come after Wyatt?" she asked. "That demon didn't stand a chance against him. Which brings me straight back to my earlier theory about ..." but she didn't get the chance to finish because she was interrupted by Piper.

"Paige, the Book says the demon comes after young witch-lings to steal their powers. Why wouldn't that include Wyatt?" she declared with impatience.

"No, I think Paige may be onto something," interjected Phoebe. "The Book doesn't say that the Nauscas demons go after any witch-ling, they go after witch-lings just coming into their powers. Vulnerable witch-lings, that's what makes the demon lower- level," she explained.

"And Wyatt's had his powers since before birth, from inside of the womb," Paige expanded upon the reasoning. "He's certainly not new to his powers or vulnerable when it comes to them."

Phoebe nodded her head in agreement. "Right, and it also says the demon senses it's target from the Underworld and then tracks. They're specifically brought on as hired hands to track down witches that were already in the Underworld but managed to escape somehow."

Paige snorted. "Wow. Like a demonic P.I.? Just when we thought we'd seen and read it all," she cracked.

"And Wyatt hasn't been anywhere near the Underworld recently. How would this kind of demon know to sense and track him to the Manor?" Phoebe added.

Piper considered everything being said but still felt the confusion. "Okay, but even if we assume he wasn't here for Wyatt that still doesn't explain what the demon was doing here to begin with?"

Paige cut in to answer. "You mean besides the obvious answer," she inferred, meaning them.

"No, not that, I mean how did he find Wyatt in the first place?" Piper looked to her sisters to help clear up some of the confusion. "It doesn't explain it," she reiterated.

Phoebe looked at Paige, took in a deep breath, and then continued on with the newest theory. "It does explain it if the imaginary friend is real. Not imaginary."

"My thinking exactly," Paige agreed. "The demon was here for Wyatt's imaginary friend, not Wyatt. That's probably why the demon told you he'd be back, Piper," she addressed her sister.

Piper thought about that possible revelation. "Wait, so we have some young witch that can make herself appear invisible? Is that what we're saying here?" asked Piper for confirmation. "How did she even get into the house because I'm telling you guys, I didn't see anybody in the room with Wyatt?!"

Phoebe sighed. "Well, maybe she astrally projected or stumbled upon Wyatt through her magic somehow, I don't know," she suggested. "I mean, Wyatt is magical. It would make sense if this witch is just a little girl and new to her powers. She probably hasn't learned how to control them yet," she added.

"And then the demon tracked that magic here to the house and to Wyatt," Paige offered up.

"Exactly!" affirmed Phoebe. Then she turned to look at Piper. "Hey, what exactly did Wyatt tell you anyway? And how do we know this is a 'she'?"

"Uh, because he said she was a girl. And he just said that she was sad and that a bad man wouldn't let her go home," Piper readily volunteered. "Some real creepy stuff - now do you get why I was so concerned about him making that stuff up on his own?!" she stressed her point.

"Right. Bet you ten bucks that bad man is our big ole' nasty high-level demon behind door number one, Bob!" Paige teased before getting serious again.

Then remembering the last detail, Piper interjected again. "Oh, and he also said she had a name."

"What?" Phoebe asked.

"Molly."

Paige froze at the mention of that particular name. Molly? No way, that had to just be a coincidence,she attempted to reason with herself. But then again, when it came to their lives, when was anything ever just a coincidence? Her reaction immediately grabbed the attention of her two sisters who were now both watching her with curiosity panned across their faces. Phoebe was the first to break the silence.

"Paige, what's the matter?" she asked her point blank. "You look like you just heard about a ghost or something?" she laughed lightly.

"Does that name mean anything to you?" Piper probed her further.

"Yeah. I mean, maybe. I mean, I don't know," Paige answered, feeling completely tongue-tied.

Then Paige shook her head. She wasn't quite sure whether to go there or not but what the heck. It wouldn't hurt if they turned out to be wrong in the end. They needed any helpful leads they could look into right now. She took a deep breath before explaining.

"I was assigned to a new case today," she finally clarified for them. "The little girl in the file is named Molly. Law enforcement thinks she was most likely abandoned by her parents. She was found wandering around by herself on the Bridge."

"What?!" Phoebe exclaimed. "That's horrible. What kind of parents would do such a thing?"

Piper thought hard about the admission before offering her own input.

"Well, maybe her parents didn't?" she suggested. "But that's if we assume she's the same little girl Wyatt's been talking to downstairs in his room," she added. "What if she was kidnapped by the Underworld and got away somehow by using her magic? That could be how she ended up on the Bridge and how this demon is tracking her now? And then she ended up here," she continued to speculate. "The parents might have no idea she was even found."

"Yeah, but speaking of the parents, where the heck are they anyway?" Paige added as an afterthought. "I mean, they would have to know their daughter is a witch, right? They would know she's missing," she concluded. "So, then, why isn't anybody looking for her?"

"Well, maybe they're worried about exposure?" suggested Piper with a simple shrug of the shoulders.

"Or they're dead," Phoebe added her own input in a solemn manner.

The three sisters looked to each other before Piper continued on.

"Okay, Paige, as her social worker do you think you'll be able to keep a close enough watch on her to look for any signs of powers?" she asked her youngest sister. "That's probably the best place to start so we can find out whether she's even a witch or not. If not - we're back to square one on who Wyatt's been talking to."

Paige nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to need to place her though. But what do we do about the foster parents if we find out it is her?" she questioned. "If she doesn't know how to control her powers yet and this demon is after her, that can turn out to be a big problem."

"Well, one problem at a time," Piper answered her back. "First we need to find out if it's her or not. But right now, let's get our butts in gear and start tracking down this Nauscas demon. We need to question him and find out more about this upper-level demon that summoned him to do the job in the first place," she concluded.

With all of that in mind, the three sisters went straight ahead to work with the book so that they could create a summoning spell and a potion.

* * *

**To Be Continued - **All of the major plot points I have introduced in the prologue and the points I plan to introduce in the coming chapters will slowly come together. So, if things seem a little separated and scattered just bear with me. I promise that it all fits together by the end of everything.


	3. Reflections

I just wanted to offer **-0-charmed-freak-0- **a quick thank you for taking the time to review and for offering words of encouragement. As long as I know that I have at least one interested party, I will continue to write the story. **:o)**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Reflections **

"Well?" Gideon exclaimed from the confines of his darkened chamber.

As a Triad, he didn't even have to turn around and look to know that the Nauscas demon was standing right behind him. The same demon he had hired to track down the missing little girl that was nowhere to be found in the Underworld. He could sense his presence before he had stepped inside.

"I have tracked the child's powers to the magical child Wyatt," reported the demon.

"Excellent. Just as I predicted," Gideon responded as his lips curled into a smirk. He walked up to the demon and stopped in front of him. "After all, it only makes sense. Their magic is linked."

The Nauscas demon looked on in confusion. "But the child, herself, wasn't there," the demon continued to relay to the remaining Triad member. "My abilities only allow me to sense and track the magic not necessarily the location of the child herself."

"Yes, well, then it must have been her astral form you were tracking," contemplated Gideon. "Not that you would have known the difference. The child has the ability to remain invisible within her natural or astral form. It was one of the powers Lana had a hard time getting a handle on. Which means, she's probably progressing alot quicker than we anticipated. The sooner she adapts to her powers, the harder it's going to be for us to take them back for Lana."

"Uh, Lana, sir?" inquired the Nauscas. Then the demon caught on. "Oh, you mean Christy?"

"Yes, Christy. But the child must be close to the Halliwell's location if she's astrally projecting herself to Wyatt. Her magic couldn't be strong enough to travel that far yet," presumed Gideon as he thought out loud. "Limit your searching to the San Francisco area," he concluded.

Then Gideon turned his attention back to the Nauscas demon.

"Now, tell me, did anyone see you at the manor?"

This time the demon hesitated before answering , which only earned him a death glare from Gideon. "I, uh, I ... one of the Charmed Ones walked in on me trying to take the boy," the Nauscas stammered out.

Gideon's temper flared and he turned on the demon in a rage.

"You idiot! You weren't suppose to try and take the boy. Not yet! You don't have the power to do it. And you were never suppose to be seen. If the Charmed Ones figure out who you are, it's going to eventually lead them back to me! What use are you to me now?!" he yelled.

Gideon proceeded to launch a giant-sized energy ball aimed directly at the other demon's chest. The Nauscas was about to attempt a quick, shimmery escape when suddenly he was pulled from out of the Underworld.

**ooooo**

"I have the potion all ready!" Phoebe hollered as she made her way back into the attic.

"What took you so long?" inquired Paige as she collected crystals from the table to make a demon trap.

"Sorry. I had to let Billie know that I wasn't going to be able to make it."

"Oh," responded Paige.

Piper was standing over the podium as she tore off a piece of scrap paper containing the summoning spell they would use. She made her way over to the table and sat down. "What about your date with Coop?" she asked out of her own curiosity. She reached over for the potion vials that Phoebe was holding onto.

"Well, I was sort of hoping to still make it after we finish up," Phoebe answered, smiling from ear-to-ear.

Both of the other sisters picked up on it immediately and went in for the kill.

"Pretty distracted there, aren't we Pheebs?" Paige commented, good-naturedly. "You didn't conjure up a love potion while you were downstairs, did ya?"

Piper laughed before adding her own playful banter to the mix. "Hey! Married woman?" she addressed Paige. "Leave her alone. Can't you see she's in the middle of glowing?" Piper teased her youngest sister all the while looking and smiling in Phoebe's direction.

"Hey! Just as long as her glow doesn't reach out and burn this married woman like your demon did, we'll all be just fine," Paige supplied back in a joking manner.

"Oh, shut-up, you two!" Phoebe smirked.

"Aw, were we picking on you?" her baby sister decided to mock back with a fake pout of the lips. "Yeah, we were picking on you," Paige finished while quirking an eyebrow and dramatically shaking her head in affirmation.

All three sisters then shared a laugh before turning serious again.

Piper arose from her seated position on the chair. "Alrighty, then," she began. "Let's get this show on the road. Paige and I worked on this summoning spell together. Hopefully, it'll work."

As Paige made her way over to the other side of the table to finish gathering crystals for the demon trap, Piper suddenly felt a strong wave of dizziness pass through her. Immediately, she reached out for the ends of the table, a table holding an array of bottles and scrying supplies. She felt like she was about to lose her balance. Paige took notice right away, dropped the crystals back onto the table, and came to her aid.

"Honey, are you alright?" she asked in a concerned voice. This caught Phoebe's attention, too, who then made her way to Piper's side as well.

"What's the matter?" Phoebe asked.

Paige tried to lead her over to the couch. "Here. Maybe you should sit down for a minute."

"No, no! I'm fine," Piper declined.

"You didn't look fine. You looked like you were about to pass out," replied Paige.

"No, I'm just tired. That and I didn't get to finish making dinner so I didn't eat. I'm just feeling tired," insisted Piper.

Phoebe and Paige still didn't look convinced.

"Are you sure?" Phoebe inquired one last time for good measure.

"Positive. It was just a little dizzy spell. Now don't freak out on me!" With that said, Piper proceeded to stubbornly make her way back up to the podium, spell in hand. "Now, let's get this done and over with," she said taking charge once again.

Phoebe and Paige took one last glance at each other. Piper noticed it and responded once again to offer more reassurance. "Really, I'm okay. Now, come on. Get your wiccan butts over here and help me, we've got demons to vanquish. Paige, do you have that cage ready to go?"

Paige grabbed the crystals off the table and placed them in a circular pattern on the attic floor like they had done so many times before. She kept the last, remaining crystal in hand.

"Done!" Paige declared, placing herself back in position next to her sisters ready to say the spell.

"Alright, here goes nothing," Piper sighed as they began to recite the spell together.

_"Nauscas Demon, Nasty and mean, We draw you to our circle to Make You not Invisible but Seen," _they all chanted in unison.

"Cute," Phoebe cracked at the recited spell that sounded so simple yet funny.

The three sisters looked up as a gust of wind brought in a chill that transformed within the circular formation. Paige rushed forward and quickly placed the remaining crystal in its proper position to seal off the demon's escape. Then, right before their very eyes, the circle revealed the same vile creature that Piper had encountered earlier. As he attempted an escape, he was shocked to the floor by the electrical current generated by the crystals.

Suddenly, he stood up taking in his surroundings and upon realizing where he was wailed, "NOOOOOO!"

"Oh yes," came Paige's mock sense of humor which was accompanied by a smirk.

"Hey there! Remember me? Or my shoulder for that matter?" Piper stated antagonistically. "Start talking. Who sent you and why were you here?"

**ooooo**

_**Los Angeles, California ... The Jenkin's home**_

The sun had long since set as Billie sat on the floor, legs crossed, looking out into the grand space that use to be her parents' living room. She couldn't believe they were actually gone for good. All because of her stupid destiny that couldn't save her sister anyway. What had the Angel of Destiny been talking about all those months back when she told her that it was her destiny to find and reunite with her sister? She never said anything about having to kill her.

Billie tried to block those thoughts from invading her mind but she couldn't help it. She felt bitter, in more ways than one. Not only did she lose both her sister and her parents but she lost the trust of the people who were like a second family to her. The Charmed sisters, the only other people she knew on this entire planet who could relate and understand who and what she was about.

_I mean, it's not everyday that you cross paths with another magical witch._

Phoebe had remained the closest to her since the battle between them had gone down. And she was grateful but that did very little to ease the guilt she felt every time she looked at her. Phoebe had tried to reassure her on more than one occasion that she had been forgiven, that it was all in the past, and that they should move on. But for some reason, Billie couldn't leave it in the past.

Billie still had Phoebe's old room in the manor. Which, in truth, surprised her because she figured Piper would have kicked her out after everything that had happened. However, to her surprise, that hadn't been the case. In fact, Piper had insisted that she stay and take as much time as she needed in the aftermath of her parents' unexpected deaths. So, in return, she helped out around the house when needed and babysat for the boys while Leo was at magic school or Piper had matters to take care of at _P3_. However, for the most part, Billie kept to herself for the past six months. As did Piper. Leo made the most attempts to make her feel included in the discussion at the dinner table or when they went out for family time together.

Paige still checked up on Billie every once and awhile, usually giving her a ring on her cell phone. _It must be the whitelighter thing, _Billie had figured. Therefore, she had come to the conclusion that it was an obligation felt from Paige's end and really had little to do with her reaching out a hand of forgiveness.

Billie sighed as she got up and made her way to the bedroom to collect some more boxes for packing.

_Need to get this over with. And the sooner the better. _

She was going to miss this house. It was her childhood home but her parents had taken out a second mortgage on it to help pay for her college education; therefore, there was no other choice but to sell it and pay off the loan. She had just turned eighteen this past Halloween, was still an unemployed, college sophomore, and had no way of maintaining the financial burden it would take to keep the house.

As she entered her parents bedroom, she headed for the small walk-in closet to gather a few more packed boxes found on the floor. However, when she happened to look up, she noticed a small-sized shoebox hiding in the corner of the closet shelf. _Oops, must have missed this, _she thought as she pulled it down. With her curiosity piqued, she sat down on the bed mattress and opened the box. What she found inside were a stack of letters folded together, postcards from her father overseas when he had served in Iraq, and numerous birthday cards collected from over the years. After she began reading, she pieced most of the letters together as love letters. Billie cringed a bit; it was just a little awkward to be scanning such intimate details pertaining to her mother and father's relationship. Letters her mother and father had sent back and forth to each other while they had still been dating and later while her father had been away.

Her parents had married young, in 1978, when her mom was only twenty and her dad a few years older than that. Christy didn't come along until 1986. She, herself, had followed two years later on October 31, 1988. As she continued to skim the content of the letters with her eyes, hoping to avoid anything too detailed that might cause her some embarrassment, she came upon a set of two letters that were carefully folded together. What pushed her to open them, she didn't know, but she did and the thing that caught her attention immediately was the handwriting. It signaled that one of these letters had not been written by neither her mother nor father so her curiosity got the better of her. However, the first one was written in her mother's handwriting so she proceeded to read that one first. It was dated for December 1, 1978 ...

_Dear Patty,_

_I will be forever indebted to you as long as I live. You saved my life that day. I never even imagined that things like that could exist. You have a very special gift that I'm extremely grateful for. You were my savior, my very own guardian angel. I'm writing this letter to you now to let you know that if there is ever anything I could do for you, at all, please don't hesitate to ask. Bill and I will be married in 2 weeks. Of course, you are welcome to attend. Good luck to you and your beautiful daughters. And I hope that everything works out with Sam._

_Sincerely, _

_Samantha _

_Patty and Sam? Why do those names sound so familiar? _

But it was the contents from the following letter that caught Billie's attention and her heart started pounding with each passing word she read. This letter was dated for May 23, 1988 ...

_Dear Samantha,_

_It has been ten long years since Patty's unfortunate passing and I'm writing you now to tell you how grateful I am for your decision to help us with this difficult situation. It's been hard for the girls to grow up without a mother and it's a shame Patty can't be here now to help us through this difficult time. But I know in my heart that this decision is for the best. _

_My granddaughter will be sent to stay with you for the summer as soon as school is out for the year. I am certain that you will do your best to care for her until the baby is born. I've also decided it would be best if she just stays with you and just remains home-schooled until the end of the first school term in December as we discussed. Then she can return home for the holidays and complete her senior year here._

_I have enclosed with this letter the letter you sent my daughter all those years back. Unfortunately, she died before receiving it but I know that your friendship with her meant more then you'll ever know. My best goes out to you, Bill, and the little one._

_Sincerely,_

_Penelope_

Billie felt a chill run straight down her spine. A baby? What baby?

As her thoughts began to wander, one of those thoughts rooted itself firmly in her mind and just would not leave despite how hard she tried to push it away. If she didn't know any better, it almost felt like the letter was insinuating an adoption. Was this letter suppose to imply that she could have been adopted? That maybe her mom and dad really weren't her mom and dad after all? On the other-hand, the letter never specifically mentioned adoption. Maybe her mom and dad just helped someone out that was in trouble? The same birth year can just be a freaky coincidence. Besides, why would her parents have kept such a huge secret like that from her? It's not like she was a little kid anymore and couldn't handle the truth. Billie felt tons of emotions well up inside of her along with a million questions racing through her mind.

Billie wanted to brush the feelings aside; however, suddenly she recalled a conversation with her mother shortly before both of her parents died. It was during the time they came out to visit her at school and she confronted them about the truth regarding Christy's disappearance. She and her mother had been sitting in her dorm room reminiscing about her sister when her mom confirmed the truth about her witch heritage and how she had inherited it from her very powerful grandmother. Did she possibly lie about all that and know where she really came from? If any of this was true, then where would her "real" parents be anyway? Maybe there really was a mother out there somewhere that did have powers like her? Her mind quickly shifted gears to Christy. What about her? After finding her earlier in the year, before her "death", she had shown signs of powers too. Were they both adopted? She felt even more confused trying to piece together everything her mind threw at her during this moment.

_I'm just grieving._

But Billie started to feel like she was grasping at straws. Her gut told her the letter meant something. More specifically, meant something about her. And right now, she really wished that Phoebe was there with her so she could share her sudden concerns and ask for some advice. But all those thoughts were very short-lived and came to a screeching halt when she looked up into the dresser mirror before her. The reflection looking back caused her blood to run cold and her eyes to bulge from shock.

"Christy!" she exclaimed.

**ooooo**

The Charmed Ones stood in the middle of their attic, attempting a demonic interrogation, as they had done so many times in the past. When the demon refused to give any information up, Paige proceeded to lift one of the crystal's from its designated place while slamming it back down to the ground. The demon wailed in pain as he received the shock of his life again from the electrical current.

"We said, tell us who sent you!" shouted Paige.

"I'll tell you NOTHING!" the Nauscas bellowed back.

"Last chance," added Phoebe.

When the demon still didn't respond, Piper extended her arm preparing to throw the vial with the potion and the demon started to protest.

"Alright, alright. I'll talk but he'll kill me when he finds out," the demon pleaded. He didn't want to be killed by the Triad but he most certainly didn't want to be vanquished by the Charmed Ones.

"If you don't talk, we'll kill you," added Piper for effect. "Now answer the question. Who sent you?"

"All I know is that he's the last remaining member of the Triad. At least for now. And he's trying to stop the Ultimate Power. That's why he sent me after a little girl. Not the boy."

At the mention of the Triad and the Ultimate Power, the sisters froze up. The demon took notice of their discomfort and was slightly placated; however, that feeling was short-lived.

"Whoa there!" exclaimed Phoebe. "Say what?"

The demon sneered and continued on. "The Triad's not really dead. Only the Ultimate Power has the ability to vanquish them once and for all.

_He's bluffing to shake us, _was Piper's immediate thought.

In a calm and steady tone of voice, Piper responded. "You're lying. There is no Ultimate Power anymore." She furrowed her brows gauging for the demon's reaction.

The demon's response was a quick smirk. "No, Billie and Christy were not the Ultimate Power. That power still exists out there somewhere; it just hasn't been tapped into yet!"

"What are you talking about?" Paige commented. "We put an end to that threat when Christy died. Along with the Triad. I was there."

Phoebe, holding her hand up, quickly interjected. "Wait! Let's assume we believe you," she said addressing the Nauscas. "What does some little girl have to do with all this? And why would the Triad think she can stop this Ultimate Power?"

"That I don't know. All I know is that when she escaped, I was hired on to restrip her powers. They were already stripped once but she got them back somehow and I was ordered to track her down and bring her back!"

"Okay, so exactly which Triad are we dealing with here," asked Piper. She made sure that the demon still had a clear view of the potion in her hand.

The demon looked down to her hand and then straight into her eyes. "His name is ..."

And before he had the opportunity to complete the sentence, he suddenly vaporized into nothing with a loud scream. All the sisters turned to look at each other and then back at the empty circle again.

"Uh! I hate it when they do that!" came Piper's last retort.

**ooooo**

"Piper, I'm telling you. Billie's not going to be a problem. She feels horrible about what happened," argued Phoebe in defense of Billie.

She had hoped that her other two sisters would be willing to forgive Billie and thought they could cut her a little more slack. Billie had come back to them in the end. But, then again, maybe it was just all those years she spent being the baby sister that moved her to defend Billie the way she did. After all, she could relate to what it was like to make mistakes and never live them down.

The three sisters strolled into the family living room and were engaged in the beginning of a heated debate on what all of these new revelations meant. Well, Piper and Phoebe were actually doing most of the banter back and forth while Paige quietly listened and observed from the sidelines.

"Look, I'm not saying it's a definite that Billie will betray us again. All I'm saying is that with the news that the Triad will be back and with this _Ultimate Power _threat still hanging over our heads, it doesn't hurt to keep an extra-careful watch on her," Piper argued back.

"Okay, but don't you think that's kind of a slap in the face to Billie, Piper? _Sure, Billie, you can live in my house. But, hey, when are you planning on killing us next?" _mocked Phoebe in an irritated fashion.

"Now that's a cheap shot and you know it!" Piper shot back.

Phoebe let out an exasperated sigh and was about to answer back when they were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and then closing.

"Piper, I'm home," Leo's voice trailed into the living room area.

He walked into the foyer with two-year old Chris in his arms. As he made his move into the living room where Piper, Paige, and Phoebe were standing he was able to pick up on the tension almost immediately.

"Hey! Is... everything okay?" he drew out slowly.

Leo looked to Piper for a response but did not receive one. Instead, she walked over to where her husband and son were standing and proceeded to plant kisses all over little Chris's face. He giggled in response.

"Hey there little man," she replied as she reached out to take her son. Then she exited the room after throwing Paige a quick, sarcastic response. "Thanks for backing me up on the Billie front, Paige." Afterwards, she left for the kitchen.

Paige's response was to just throw her hands up in the air in defeat. She hated getting in the middle of her sisters' arguments but it was like she couldn't win either way.

"What was that all about?" asked Leo, clearly confused.

"Um, just a little demon trouble. Nothing we can't handle," Paige responded lightly hoping to relieve a little of the tension. "Uh, Phoebe, if you still want to make that dinner with Coop you should probably get going," she added as a quick reminder. She looked at her watch. "I should go too. Henry's going to be wondering where I am. I didn't even call him."

"Yeah," responded Phoebe as she grabbed her jacket and purse that she had left on the couch earlier when they had been in a hurry to check on Piper.

"Wait," Leo interrupted. "What demon? There hasn't been a demon attack in six months!"

"Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow," Paige replied. She patted Leo on the shoulder on her way out. "I'm sure Piper will fill you in on the details," she added.

"See ya later Leo," Phoebe waved back. She followed Paige to the door.

"Yeah, bye!" answered Leo.

Both sisters left the manor heading towards their own destinations.

**ooooo**

_**Quake Restaurant**_

"Phoebe? Earth to Phoebe?" Coop tried to get her attention again.

This time he waved his hand in the front of her face and it worked. They had been sitting at their dinner table for the past half-hour and Phoebe's mind appeared to be in a completely different place. At the last minute, she had chosen to eat at this restaurant .

"Oh, sorry." Phoebe laughed nervously. "I didn't mean to completely zone out on you like that."

"It's okay." Coop flashed a warm smile back in her direction. "As long as I have your attention now." He reached across the table and wrapped his own hands over hers. With a concerned look on his face, he said "Tell me what's bothering you?"

Phoebe sighed. "No, it's nothing. It's just..."

"Just what?" Coop gently pushed.

Phoebe looked Coop straight in the eyes before continuing. "Well, you're magical."

"Yes. Yes I am," responded Coop with a smile and a hint of amusement. He wasn't exactly sure where this discussion was heading but he continued to listen.

"How is that you keep doing what you do; yet, you never get fed up with it? I mean, is there ever a time when you just feel like dropping it all and shouting ... _To hell with it. It's time to think of me_?" asked Phoebe.

Coop carefully contemplated what Phoebe was asking before answering her.

"Well, I guess I keep going with it because the opportunity to love is the greatest gift you can ever offer someone. And while it may feel like a daunting task at times, in the end, the rewards far outweigh the disadvantages of the job. I get to feel the love right here," Coop brought his hand to his chest and gently patted it over his heart. "It's the best feeling ever."

Phoebe couldn't help but smile at his optimistic nature. "Spoken like a true Cupid," she replied back.

Coop continued to stare intently at the beautiful woman across the table from him. "Do you mind if I ask where this is coming from? Why did you want to eat here tonight?" he inquired.

Phoebe looked around. "Piper use to work here. Back in the day, when we first found out we were witches, the three of us spent alot of time here. Piper, Me, Prue ..." her voice drifted off.

Coop nodded his head and remained silent for a moment. "Ah. Prue. The sister I haven't met." Coop knew this was a sensitive topic so he proceeded with caution. "Does this have anything to do with her?" he asked gently.

"Well, yes and no. I mean, her death was definitely one of the major consequences that made us reconsider whether we wanted to continue on with this Charmed destiny or not. And in the last six months, my life has almost felt completely normal with not having to worry about all the demon vanquishing. It's a life we've wanted for a long time. A life I really believed I wanted."

"But?" he prodded.

"But," Phoebe stressed, "Sometimes I feel guilty. It's like Billie said. We're suppose to be about the greater good. And earlier this year, I came to the conclusion that she was right about that. Sometimes the reward of saving an Innocent's life outweighs some of the consequences that we face in the long run. And as great as my life has been these past six months, I still miss that feeling."

"There's nothing wrong with feeling that way. You were doing it for almost eight years. So there's bound to be some feelings of guilt," Coop offered.

"The guilty part I'm feeling is when it comes to Piper and Paige. They've worked so hard to establish normal lives for themselves, so would it really be fair to continue to burden them with the pressures of being a Charmed One? Except now, we may not have a choice. Not with the Triad still on the loose, and this _Ultimate power _thing ..." she was interrupted by Coop.

"Phoebe," Coop interrupted. "Listen, you're a good person with a good heart. And if you feel that you need to balance a normal life with your witch duties, then by all means go for it."

Phoebe couldn't help but smile at his words of encouragement. She smiled and listened intently as he carried on.

"And if the time comes when you have no choice, then I promise to be right there with you," he supplied.

When he concluded his final thoughts on the matter, he smirked, and reached for the side of his pocket. He brought out a small, velvet box and opened it to reveal a beautiful, diamond, engagement ring. Then, he brought himself down on one knee. Phoebe brought her hands to her mouth as she realized what was about to be asked.

He laughed and stated, "I was hoping for a bit more of a romantic setting but I guess this will have to do."

She laughed with him and Phoebe's eyes began to well up with tears as Coop asked her the question most women hope to hear at some point in their lives.

"Phoebe Halliwell? Would you do me the honor of marrying me and becoming my wife?"

She responded with an eager 'yes' and reached out for his face. Their lips locked in a slow, sweet kiss while Phoebe felt like nothing could be more perfect than this particular moment.

* * *

**Coming up ... **A Billie/Christy confrontation. Who is Billie? Also, the sisters continue on their search to find out more regarding the Ultimate Power and to hunt the Triad member that still lives on. A small surprise is in store for Piper and Leo. And just who are Michael and Marie and what is their daughter's connection to all of this?


	4. Surprise, Surprise!

**-O-charmed-freak-O- ... **I would like to thank you for reviewing. And, hm, I didn't make the surprise too obvious, now did I? Hope not. **;o) lol ...**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Surprise, Surprise!**

When the reflection in the mirror didn't just register as her own, Billie instantly whipped her head around to look behind her.

_Is this for real_? _I can't be seeing what I think I am?_

As the woman looking like Christy took steps forward, Billie was on her feet in a flash. She waved her right arm sending the other young woman flying into the wall behind her.

"Stay back!" shouted Billie.

The young woman reached for her back, rubbing it, where it had impacted the wall.

_Ouch, that hurt_, she thought.

She attempted to stand back on her two feet as Billie prepared to send her flying for the second time. Shrinking away, she screeched. " Billie, please. Don't! It's me, Christy!"

At the woman's frightened posture, Billie halted her next assault. She brought her arm back down slowly and then cautiously approached her. A part of her really wanted to believe this was real. Was Christy really still alive? No, it wasn't possible. "Christy's dead. Now, who are you and what are you doing here?" she demanded to know.

Christy shook her head, trying anxiously to convince the other young woman before her that she was indeed who she said she was. "No! It's me, I swear!" She put up her hand in front of her as if trying to ward off Billie's next move. "Please, don't hurt me!" the young woman appeared to be pleading for her life.

The woman looked and sounded sincere; however, Billie still remained weary. After all, she could be putting on a very convincing act. However, she couldn't help but start to feel her emotions running away with her as her eyes started to well up with unshed tears.

"I don't believe you," she stated, her voice cracking with emotion. "She's dead. I should know. I'm the one that killed her."

"No, no!" protested Christy. "_She_ sent me here."

Billie's eyes furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, she? Who's she?"

Christy shook her head in deep contemplative thought. There was an edge of fear that could be detected as she spoke. "The woman who looked like me. I couldn't believe my own eyes when I saw her. I mean, how is that possible?" She then looked to Billie hoping the other young woman could help to explain away the impossible. Then she continued. "She said that they didn't need me anymore. That I was only dead weight for them. And then I came here."

Billie thought hard about the claims being made by the young woman. Is it possible that the woman standing before her now was really Christy? But what about six months ago? Was the young woman she killed really her sister?

_Perhaps I was tricked. Maybe I thought that I found my real sister? Maybe it really was a demon that could make herself look like my sister and that's who I killed instead? _

Billie pondered these thoughts as she listened intently to the woman's unbelievable story. The idea wasn't that far-fetched, actually, it kind of made sense if the whole idea was to use Billie to destroy the Charmed Ones. A demon pretending to be her sister could have gotten close enough to her to see if she could get to her powers for the Triad to use. But how did they know when she'd be coming for Christy?

"Where am I?" the young woman's soft spoken voice penetrated Billie's deep thoughts. She made it a point to look around at her surroundings.

"Uh, home?" Billie answered awkwardly.

_I better be cautious._ _I don't want to make the same mistake twice. _

"I don't understand," said Billie shaking her head in confusion. "Are you saying this is the first time you've ever seen me? I mean, since we were kids and you were taken away?"

"Yes," Christy answered, nodding her head. There were fresh tears forming inside of her own eyes. But were they real or just manufactured for Billie's sake? Suddenly, Christy shocked Billie as she rushed forward to embrace her. Billie was too stunned to react.

_Wow, if this is an act, it's an awfully damn good one, _thought Billie.

Therefore, doing the only thing that came natural to her, she hugged Christy back before slowly breaking away. Billie sat back down on the mattress. So far, the young woman hadn't made any threatening moves against her. She genuinely seemed ... frightened. Deciding to give in and listen, Billie asked her the question. "Okay, tell me what happened?"

Christy made her way to the bed and sat down beside her sister.

"All I remember in the beginning, is that they taunted me." She had a far off look in her eyes as she spoke. "They taunted me about you. That one day you'd coming looking for me and how I'd never get to see you again. And that because of me you'd fall right into their trap." She began to cry, slumping her head against Billie's shoulder, as she continued to pour her heart out. "Billie, it was horrible. I was so scared. The people that had me kept me in this dark cave. And the scariest part is that I don't even know if they could be called people. How could they do the things they were doing? What are they?"

She turned to Billie, looking for an answer. Billie wasn't sure what she should say to the woman claiming to be her sister. And in light of what she might have discovered about herself just moments before, chances were that the real Christy could be just as mortal as their deceased parents had been. Did that mean the Dogon made a mistake all those years back and took the wrong sister? But the one thing that continued to plague Billie's thoughts and kept adding to her confusion was that the Christy she had found earlier this year had tapped into magic. So how was that possible? Either it was a demon or it was really Christy and she had powers too.

There was also that one time Lopan had guided Billie through her projection power. He actually became a Zodiac later on but he had helped her with projecting herself into the past and to Christy's place of imprisonment. Christy was still a child and had no idea what Billie had meant when she asked her about powers. Perhaps it was because Christy never had any to begin with and a shape-shifter took her place later on? Billie started to feel some of her defenses breaking down at what seemed to be completely logical conclusions. But, still, she erred on the side of caution.

"If you've never seen me before, how did you know who I was?" Billie interrogated gently.

"I didn't. I only suspected it was you because they told me they were sending me to you. They said once you saw me, it would be the end for me," she explained. "Which brings me to my next question. How were you able to do what you just did to me? Did they trap you and do something to you too?" Christy asked with what appeared to be genuine fear and concern.

Billie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew that question was coming and she wasn't quite sure how to explain that her abilities weren't bad. But how do you explain something like that to a mortal who was abducted as a child, held captive by demons, and then made to witness horrible acts because of dark magic?

"Christy," Billie started. "I don't know how to explain this to you except to come out and just say it. So here it goes. I'm a witch. A good witch and that's how I'm able to do what you saw. The people that took you, well, they're bad. Demons, and they live in the Underworld. I've been looking for you a long time and earlier this year I thought that I had finally found you. My powers helped me figure out where you were. But then you wanted me to turn on some people who were ... who are very important to me," Billie corrected herself. "And that's how you died," she concluded, looking for any reaction from this young woman that would tell her something wasn't right.

Christy just sat there listening to every word Billie said. She appeared part stunned and part amazed at what Billie had just finished explaining. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "I don't know what to say except that it wasn't me. Does this mean I'm a witch too?" A look of bewilderment passed over her face. "But then how come I can't do what you can do? I mean, if I'm your sister shouldn't we be the same?" she asked confused.

"I don't know. Well, that may actually be another story for another time," Billie answered. "But for now, I'd like to take you to meet these people I know. They'll know how to help you. To help us."

"Who are they?" asked Christy.

"Let's just say that they're very special people better equipped then we are to deal with this situation. And leave it at that."

**ooooo**

_**One Week Later ...**_

Paige made her way up the steps and inside the South-Side Children's Center. It was an orphanage for abused, neglected, or abandoned children. This was the quickest temporary placement situation that Paige was able to come up with for the little girl, Molly. As she approached the woman sitting at the front desk, she reached for her employee ID.

"Good morning, how may I help you?" came the woman's cheerful greeting. The woman looked to be in her early forties, with a touch of gray to her hair, and the hair thrown up in a small bun behind her head.

"Yeah, hi," came Paige's response. "My name is Paige Matthews. I'm a social worker with South Bay Social Services. I've been assigned to one of the new children here."

"Can I see some proper identification please?" came the woman's response. Paige reached out, showing her ID badge. "Thank you. What did you say the child's name was?"

"Molly," Paige answered. "She's about four years old. Shoulder length blonde-hair."

"Uh, last name, please?" asked the woman, looking from the computer screen back to Paige.

"Um, no, our agency wasn't able to get a last name for her. We actually don't know that much about her. I'm pretty sure we're looking at abandonment. She was found wandering out on the Bridge. So ..." Paige's voice faltered.

"Oh, that's right. That little girl that was placed here last week. Poor thing. Shy but sweet," the woman suddenly recollected. "Okay. Follow me please."

Paige followed the woman in the direction of the long corridor. As she made her way down the long hallway, she noticed rooms that looked like mini-classrooms placed on each side of the hall. They were filled with children of varying ages. They appeared to be engaged in different activities of sorts. Paige felt her heart go out to all these children desperately in need of love and good homes. But right now, she had to focus her attention on one, especially if she required magical protection. The woman escorted Paige to the end of the hall and into an elevator that brought them to the third floor level.

"We segregate the children into their appropriate age groups," the woman proceeded to explain. "And all the children gather together for their meal times. We just came from the first floor and that's where the children receive most of their education until we can place them."

Paige just nodded her head in response. She was led down to a small room on the far left-hand side.

As they reached the door, the woman spoke again. "Molly's still adjusting. Were you able to find a placement for her yet?"

"No, not yet," replied Paige. "But we're working on it." She smiled at the woman.

The woman opened the door to reveal a small child sitting on a small rug in the middle of the floor. She appeared to be playing with some toys. There were two barbie dolls lying to the side of her. A small bed was positioned in the right corner with one window placed a few feet to the side. The walls were covered with colorful drawings made with crayola crayons, the obvious creations of a small child.

The older woman called out to get the little girl's attention. "Molly? I'd like for you to meet someone very special. Her name is Paige."

At the sound of the older woman's voice, the little girl turned her head around to look at both women.

_Wow, she doesn't look much older than Wyatt, _thought Paige.

The little girl was positioned on her knees with her legs underneath her. She was sporting a pair of dark navy blue jeans and a short-sleeved, lime-green shirt. The tiny white skips on her feet could be seen underneath her seated position. Her blonde hair was pulled into two, smaller pigtails, one on each side of her head. A small curl could be detected at the ends of each.

Paige flashed her a warm smile.

"Hi," the shy little girl replied.

The little girl resumed what she had been doing just moments before the two women walked in the door together. Paige noticed that she was engrossed in playing with a set of building blocks.

"She insisted on the blocks instead of the dolls," the older woman laughed lightly. Then the older woman's attention turned back to the child. "Okay, Molly, I'm going to leave you here alone with Paige for a little while so the two of you can get to know each other better. Be nice to her because she's here to help you."

The little girl just shook in her head in response without looking back at them.

"Alright, well, I'll leave you two girls to it then. See you later Molly." The woman flashed Paige a sympathetic smile before exiting the door and closing it behind her.

"Bye," came Molly's muttered reply.

Paige made her way over to the small table positioned against the wall to sit, observe, and figure out a way to gain the child's trust. She watched closely for a few minutes before she decided to start up a conversation. "So, Molly. I hear you're a very brave little girl."

The little girl just shrugged her shoulders up in response.

Paige decided to try another angle. "So, what are you building down there? You look like you're doing a good job."

Molly looked up at Paige. "It's my house."

"Wow!" declared Paige. "Is it alright if I come down there and help you with it?"

The little girl appeared to be considering it. She quirked her small, upper lip up as if in hard concentration before confirming that the request being made was acceptable. "Okay," she answered simply.

Paige smiled and then brought herself down to sit on the rug across from the little girl. She picked up some of the extra blocks lying on the floor and started to build with them. "So what are these?" she continued, trying to keep the child engaged in conversation.

"Blocks. There mines!" little Molly proudly exclaimed.

"Oh, okay," Paige couldn't help but laugh. "Molly? You know the nice lady that brought me in here?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Well, she wants me to help you. Is that okay?"

The little girl shrugged her shoulders for the second time.

_Okay, not outright rejection, _thought Paige.

But then the little girl focused in on what Paige was doing with the blocks and offered her a child-like reprimand for it. "Yous doing it wrong!" the little girl exclaimed.

Paige halted what she was doing and watched the little girl with amusement. She made her way closer to Paige, took the building block from her hand, and proceeded to show her the 'right way' to build.

"Here's. Like this. Like my friend show me." She placed the block on top of another one.

This reference to "friend" caught Paige's attention. _Ha-ha! Now, we might be finally getting somewhere, _she thought to herself. "Does your friend live here too?" asked Paige.

Molly shook her head from side-to-side. "No. He still have his mommy and daddy," she replied sadly.

_Wyatt, _Paige asked herself. Paige took on a sympathetic tone with the child. "Does that make you sad honey? That he still has his mommy and daddy but you don't?" Silence ensued for a better part of a minute. "You miss your mommy and daddy."

This time the little girl offered a small frown and nodded her small head. Her tiny curls, at the end of her pigtails, bobbed against her shoulders as she did so. When the little girl looked up again, Paige got a closer look at the child's brilliant, blue eyes with long lashes. Eyes that she hadn't paid much attention to before but now seemed to haunt her. Where did she see those eyes before? But right now, she couldn't quite place it. Instead, she was pulled back into the conversation by the next words spoken from the little girl.

"Mommy and daddy went away. The bad man made them go away from me," she continued to explain in her sad little voice.

_Hm, so __maybe she wasn't abandoned after all? A demonic kidnapping, perhaps? But then, why hasn't it been reported? Unless, it's because the parents know they can't go to the authorities because they know it was a demon and that their daughter is a witch? __Score one for Piper._

"The bad man, sweetie? Do you mean like from a bad dream?" Paige asked. She wanted to make sure this wasn't just some tall-tale story conjured up by the imagination of a four-year old.

"No, the bad man real. He wants to make them go away so he can keep me!" she exclaimed. "But I wants him to go away from me!"

"Well, there's no bad man here sweetie, okay?" Paige tried to soothe reassuringly. "And I promise that I'm not going to let him anywhere near you if he comes back." Paige was almost certain that this was the same little girl they were looking for. "You're safe here."

_Alright. Time to take a risk and hope I'm right. And in the slim chance I'm wrong and she says anything, hopefully they'll just chalk it all up to the over-active imagination of a small child._

"Hey, I have a little secret that I'd like to share with you. But it's just our little secret and you can't tell anyone what I show you, promise?" Paige conspired with the child.

"Promise," replied little Molly.

The little girl watched as Paige extended her hand and called out for one of the building blocks. It disappeared into a swirl of blue and white orbs and reappeared in the palm of her hand. Molly's small eyes lit up at the sight.

"See?" Paige remarked. "Just like magic. Now, do you have any secrets that you'd like to share with me?" she prodded gently.

Molly proceeded to concentrate really hard on the small block now sitting in Paige's hand. Then, suddenly, Paige watched as the object disappeared into a swirl of blue and white for the second time. This time reappearing in Molly's small hands. She looked up at Paige and flashed her a bright smile.

BINGO, was Paige's final thought.

**ooooo**

Piper tried to re-position herself, comfortably, against the wall. She was sitting on the examination table and waiting anxiously for the doctor to return with the test results. Leo, stood at her side, holding her hand and offering as much support as he could in the situation.

"You're fidgeting again," remarked Leo.

"I'm not fidgeting!" Piper retorted.

"You are. There's nothing to be nervous about. It's not like we haven't been through this before."

"Nervous? I'm not nervous," denied Piper.

Leo smirked back at her. "Then why are your hands shaking?" he asked her.

Piper looked down at their hands, entwined, and let go. "Hey, I said I'm not nervous. It's just cold in here, that's all!" Piper retorted again in mock sarcasm.

"Right," replied Leo. He still had a grin plastered across his face. "If you say so."

"Well, I say so!" Piper teased in return.

Honestly, she didn't know why she was so nervous. Like Leo pointed out, they had done this twice before. What was so different about this time? Three days ago she had taken her own home test which concluded what she had been suspecting all along. Now here she sat awaiting medical confirmation.

Was it possible that she and Leo would finally be blessed with that beautiful, brown-haired little girl she had foreseen so long ago? It was a bittersweet realization for Piper for it brought back the memory of all that had been lost. The little girl of that future signified a life where her older sister, Prue, had still lived on. Only, now, she wouldn't be here to share in that joy because she had been taken from them too soon.

The door opened and a nurse walked in holding Piper's medical charts.

"Hello, Piper. I'm Nurse Benington. I work with Doctor Kerry. We just received your test results from the lab."

"And?" Both Piper and Leo asked in unison.

"Congratulations! You're pregnant," came the nurse's response.

**ooooo**

Phoebe walked through the front door of the manor. She had kept the engagement a secret for a week now, only because Coop had asked to break the news together but she just couldn't hold it in any longer. The feelings of elation made her feel like she would burst if she didn't share the good news with her sisters soon. Yup, her future was definitely looking promising, she thought.

"Piper?! Leo?!" she shouted. "Anyone home?"

When she received no answer, she decided that she would wait around the house until they came back home. She was about to make her way into the kitchen for something to eat when she heard the front door open and close. Turning around, she saw Paige walking towards her.

"Oh, Pheebs, you're already here. Good. One down, one to go. Piper here?" she asked. She sounded like she had something important on her mind that she wanted to share.

"No, but I'm going to wait too," Phoebe smiled and then giggled excitedly.

Paige halted in her foot-steps and gave her sister a curious look. "You're in an awfully chipper mood right now." She quirked her eyebrows at her sister. "I'm free to assume it's Coop and his cupidly ways again?"

Instead of responding, Phoebe flashed her hand in front of Paige so that she could see the diamond engagement ring that stood out.

"Whoa. Is that what I think it is?" Paige asked as she grabbed for her sister's hand.

"Yup, Coop asked me last week over dinner!" Phoebe continued on in her excited state. "Isn't it gorgeous?"

"Wait, he asked you last week and you kept it a secret until now? That's got to be some type of world record for you, Pheebs," her sister teased.

In the middle of their playful banter, the front door opened for the third time in ten minutes. Piper walked in feeling exhausted. All she felt like doing was going to sleep. She placed her car keys and purse on the small, table-stand just past the front door when she noticed her two sisters joking away in the dining room area.

"Hey you two. What's up?" she asked making her way through the foyer and into the dining room with them. She wanted to get off her feet so she sat down at the table.

"Well, for starters, Phoebe's getting married!" Paige exclaimed in a jovial, high-pitched voice.

"Hey! That was suppose to be my news to tell!" Phoebe playfully slapped her sister's arm.

Piper smiled in Phoebe's direction. "Is that true, did Coop finally pop the question?" She was happy to see her sister in such a great mood. "I guess that dinner date went better than expected."

Phoebe flashed the ring once again. "It did! He asked me that night," she reported to Piper.

Piper thought about that admission for a minute. "He did? And you kept it a secret that long?"

Paige smirked and released a snortful laugh at her sister's remark while earning a small glare from Phoebe. Piper then considered whether she should share her news or wait. After all, she didn't want to put a damper on Phoebe's news. So she decided to wait for another day.

Suddenly, Paige broke in, sounding a bit more grim. "Uh, guys? I really hate to rain on Phoebe's parade here but I had some news of my own that I came over here to share."

Piper and Phoebe turned to listen to what Paige needed to say. However, before Paige proceeded, both she and Phoebe joined Piper at the table each taking a seat. Then Paige sighed and went into her dialogue.

"I visited the child center today. The one that Molly's temporarily placed in?" she explained as she looked to her sisters who nodded for her to continue. "Well, I'm pretty sure it's the same little girl our Triad demon from the Underworld is looking for."

"How sure?" asked Phoebe.

"Positively sure," answered Paige. "Let's just say I saw for myself what she's capable of doing."

"Magic?" Piper asked for confirmation purposes. She looked to Phoebe, who appeared to be looking for the same verification, while Phoebe also looked back in Piper's direction.

"Yup. I know for a fact that she can telekinetic-ally orb objects," clarified Paige for her other two sisters.

"Orbing?" questioned Phoebe. "Wait, so are we saying that she's part whitelighter like you and the boys?" Phoebe looked back to Piper with confusion spread across her face. "I thought we were looking for a little girl who could make herself invisible? Or astrally project?"

"Well, she probably can but I just haven't seen it yet. Plus, I got her talking and she did tell me about the bad man Wyatt was telling you about, Piper," explained Paige. "Coincidence?"

Phoebe thought for a moment and then shook her head. "No, it can't be," she said. Then, Piper agreed.

"But, what do we do now? I mean, I'm going to have to place her with a foster family soon. The center is only used as a temporary placement," Paige expressed with concern. "Only, now, how do we do that knowing there's a demon on the loose that's trying to find her. We could be putting potential foster parents in harms way."

It was a legitimate concern and both Piper and Phoebe knew it. Phoebe contemplated what Paige told them.

"Well, is there any way that we could temporarily bind her powers? I mean, just until we find out more about her background and if there are parents out there looking for her?" Phoebe suggested.

"I suppose it's possible but what if we put the little girl in more danger by taking her powers away?" Piper countered. "She won't be able to defend herself. I mean, obviously, the Triad is powerful. They're unvanquishable for a reason. Whoever this last member is, he was able to track down this little girl and kidnap her without leaving a trail behind. Just like the Triad did with Billie's sister, Christy, all those years ago. We only found out about Molly because of Wyatt."

The sisters contemplated both possibilities and were confused on which course of action to take. However, before they could reach a decision, three demons shimmered into the foyer of the manor preparing to launch fireballs in the their direction.

**ooooo**

_**New York City ... (NYPD)**_

The New York Police Department was just as hectic as any other police department in a major city but today it was just plain chaotic.

While everyone was scurrying around trying to get done what they needed to accomplish, Darryl Morris sat in his private office located in the far back corner of the department. He was busy working on which cases should be assigned to which detectives. He was grateful for the new transfer that was due to report today. Right now, they could use all the extra hands they could get.

Darryl, his wife Shelia, and their kids had moved to the East Coast over a year ago to get a fresh start. Plus, it didn't hurt that the job pay was more. He had also been fortunate to receive another promotion in the last year. But the good news was that his family had adjusted nicely. That was why he could relate to the new detective joining the force from out of state. A move could be hard. New City? New Job? New People? New Home? It was familiar territory for Darryl and his family.

Suddenly, a knock could be heard outside of his office door.

"Come in!" he had shouted. A tall, lean man sporting glasses walked into the office, a stack of files in hand. "Yeah?" came Darryl's question.

"Captain Morris, I got those case files you were asking for," came the man's reply.

"Thanks, Jerry. Just put them right over there on the chair."

The man did as he was told and was about to leave when he remembered there was something else he needed to report. "Oh and sir? That new fella up from Mass is here. The transfer?" he proceeded to tell Morris.

"Yeah okay, Jerry, just send him in," was Darryl's reply without even looking up at the other man. He was engrossed in the task at hand.

"You got it boss." Then the other man left.

A few minutes later, the office door could be heard opening and a tall, moderately built man stepped through. He approached the man's desk preparing himself for an introduction.

"Hi. My name is Michael, sir. Michael Holloway."

Darryl reached for his coffee to take a sip before extending his hand to the other man's. As he looked up and did so, he choked on the coffee and it went flying everywhere around him. He couldn't be seeing what he thought he was seeing. It was impossible.

"Andy?!" he exclaimed.

* * *

**To Be Continued ...**


	5. Seeing Double

Once again, thanks to **-O-charmed-freak-O- **and **LoveAngel 1705 **for the reviews. It's your interest in the story that keeps me motivated to write.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Seeing Double**

"Demons!" shouted Paige in order to get the attention of her two sisters.

Both Piper and Phoebe had their backs turned towards the fireballs that were now heading in their direction. Unfortunately, before Phoebe could react, one of the fireballs skimmed the side of her arm.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed. She threw herself to the floor to avoid making contact with anymore.

At the same time, Piper and Paige were engaged in warding off the attempts being made against their own lives.

"Fireball!" Paige had called and instantly she sent it flying back in the demon's direction. He flamed up and evaporated on impact leaving a loud wail in his wake.

Meanwhile, Piper lifted her hands to try and freeze the two remaining demons and the fireball aimed directly at her head. However, instead of freezing them by putting them into a state of temporal stasis, the fireball and two remaining demons turned to solid ice. Then, they proceeded to shatter and fall to the floor in tiny bits and pieces.

"Whoa there!" Piper exclaimed in shock, lifting her two hands to take a closer look at them.

Phoebe looked to where the remaining pieces, of what used to be demon flesh, lay sprawled all over the floor. Her hand was covering the burned area on her arm where the fireball had made contact a few short moments ago.

"Ewe!" she commented. "That's going to be one gross clean-up."

Then, both Phoebe and Paige turned their attention back to Piper, questioning looks plastered across their faces. Paige placed her hands on both sides of her hips and went in for an interrogation.

"Okay, Missy, give it up?"

"What?" declared Piper, in a high-pitched tone, feigning that she was just as shocked as they both were with what had happened.

"Uh, what's with the ice-making? That's what. Did your powers grow again and you forgot to tell us?" Paige continued on in a teasing manner.

Phoebe laughed and added, "Yeah, that sure gives new meaning to your power and what it means to freeze someone. I guess they didn't like the cold."

Piper just rolled her eyes and laughed. Paige followed suit as Piper proceeded to explain.

"No, one minute I was trying to time-freeze and the next thing I knew I was ... " she was dramatically waving her hands around in the air when Paige interrupted her with some more playful banter.

"Making ice-cubes?" she finished for her.

Phoebe laughed in response to Paige's barb. But Piper came back with a retort of her own in her own naturally, sarcastic style.

"Hey, you looking for your own time out in the freezer section, Missy Paige?"

"Well, lucky for me, you can't freeze good witches," Paige nonchalantly voiced back.

All three sisters laughed and made their way into the kitchen.

"Yeah, well unfortunately for me, this isn't freezer burn here," interjected Phoebe. She was making reference to the burn she had received from the demon attack. "Think you can help me out here?" she asked Paige. "Ow, it stings."

"Ha, see! I wasn't over-reacting about my shoulder," Piper teased.

Paige used her energy to heal her sister's arm.

"And good as new," cracked Piper.

"Okay, but time to get serious," Paige interjected.

Phoebe went to pull a glass from the cupboard to get something to drink as Piper made her way to the refrigerator to get started on dinner.

"Yeah, but before we do that, I think there's something I should tell you guys first. I was going to wait but seeing as how were back on the demonic radar again like every other five minutes," Piper sarcastically remarked as she closed the refrigerator door.

"Yeah, that six months was fun while it lasted," sighed Paige.

"Oh, Piper, can you grab the ice-tea for me, please?" asked Phoebe.

Piper reopened the refrigerator. She reached in and handed it to her before closing the door again. Then she made her way over to the counter-top, placing down the packaged food items she had retrieved.

"Thanks," replied Phoebe. "Sorry." She smiled.

"So, you were saying?" inquired Paige.

Piper turned around to face her sisters and placed her hands on top of the the kitchen island. She gathered her thoughts before continuing on. Realizing she had their full attention, she sighed and began to break the news.

"Well, Leo and I paid a trip to the doctor's today."

"Is everything okay, sweetie?" Phoebe asked with concern, as she placed her glass on the table and looked to her sister with worry in her eyes.

"No, it's nothing bad. It's just that we're ... I'm kind of pregnant that's all." She turned around to grab a butcher knife and a head of lettuce for a salad and began slicing.

"What?" exclaimed Phoebe. "Well, honey, that's great news!"

Phoebe was all smiles at the prospect of being an aunt again. Hopefully, one day soon, she would be a mom to her very own little girl. However, neither of them noticed the solemn expression that crossed Paige's face at the news.

Paige covered up her slight frown as quickly as she could. She didn't want Piper, or Phoebe for that matter, to think that she was unhappy about the news or that she was being unsupportive. In truth, it had nothing to do with them. Personally, it was just a sore subject for her right now. Information she hadn't shared with her sisters.

"Piper, that's awesome!" Paige responded right after Phoebe.

Phoebe made her way up to Piper to offer her a supportive hug. As she did so, she noticed the solemn expression on Piper's face instead of the one that had graced Paige's just a few, short seconds ago. They broke apart from the hug and Phoebe gently rubbed her back in a comforting gesture.

"Honey, what's the matter? You seem kind of upset about it? You don't want to be pregnant?"

Piper shook her head. "No, it's not that. It's just that for so long our lives have revolved around fighting demons and using our magic to serve the greater good. And now that we finally had a break, I was hoping that we wouldn't have to put another child through what Wyatt and Chris have had to go through. I mean, is that too much to ask for?"

Phoebe sighed as Paige just continued to listen. "No, sweetie, I guess not. But that's just part of who we are. It's a part of who they are and I don't think there's any other way around that do you? I mean, I think we found that out the hard way when we tried to fake our deaths." She tried to express this with as much compassion as possible. "Besides, the demons never promised they'd never come after us again. They just said the Underworld would take time to reorganize itself."

"Yeah. That and the little fact that they were still demons," Paige added. "Which means, they lie." Paige got up from the table to offer her big sister a hug. "Listen, honey, don't worry. It's all going to work out. You have Leo. You have me and Phoebe. And there's Billie for some extra-added fire power if needed."

"Yup, and we won't let anything happen to you or the wh'ittle one," Phoebe brought her head down to Piper's stomach and in the process did her best demonstration of baby dribble.

_Oh brother, here we go again, _thought Piper as she smirked and rolled her eyes at her sister's open display. Then, both sisters proceeded to squash their sister in a giant, bear hug.

"Hey, the pregnant woman needs room to breathe!" she squeaked.

"Hey, does this mean the baby is the new ice-freezer in the family?" Paige wondered aloud as they all broke apart. At the same time, they were interrupted by what sounded like the front door of the manor closing. "Who's that?" she asked.

"It could be Leo," offered Piper.

All three sisters made their way to the front of the house.

"He went over to Dad's to spend some time with the boys. We asked him to keep a watch on them for awhile until we figure out some more regarding this whole Triad and Ultimate Power situation. And especially with demons attacking us in the manor again. I'd like to expose them to as little as possible right now."

"Oh, so you told him what's going on?" inquired Paige.

"Not in so many words. But he's been around long enough now to know there's a big problem that we need to deal with. Plus, add in the fact that Leo doesn't have his powers anymore. Which means I'd definitely like to try and keep him out of the line of fire as much as possible. I don't want to risk losing him again," Piper explained as they made their way into the foyer to make out Billie just in time.

"Right." Paige remarked.

"Billie?" exclaimed Piper. "Did you just get back?"

She walked up to meet her and the other two sisters followed.

Billie wore a face covered with worry and concern. She didn't know how the sisters would react to her news so she left Christy waiting back home. But she wanted to be completely honest with them so here she was, willing and ready. Besides, maybe they could help her get to the bottom and the truth of the whole situation.

"How did it go, sweetie?" asked Phoebe. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it but it's just there's alot that's been going on around here lately."

"Yeah, it's no problem," Billie responded in a hurry. "But I really need to talk to you guys about something. It's really important!" she stressed. Then she noticed the pile of, what appeared like, shattered glass spread across the floor. "Hey, what's that?" she asked, suddenly distracted. Squinting her eyes to get a better look, she added, "Hey, I think it's melting!"

Everyone turned to look at the watery mass of ex-demon.

"Uh ... demon ... cube ..." Piper stammered out as she turned to look at Paige with a big smile plastered on her face. "But Paige was on her way to clean that up, weren't you Paige?"

Paige glared at her and then rolled her eyes before responding. "Yeah, I guess I was!" she declared before heading back to the kitchen closet to collect a mop.

"Okay, so what did you need to tell us?" asked Phoebe, turning her attention back to Billie and her announcement before the distraction. She and Piper waited patiently for her response.

Billie took a deep breath and responded. "It's Christy. She's back!"

**ooooo**

_**Central Park (NY) ...**_

As Marie took a stroll down the pathway in the infamous Central Park, the busy hustle of the traffic could be heard in the distance. She had needed some fresh air because the clutter gathering around the new apartment from the move was making her feel claustrophobic. The movers had just finished delivering the remainder of their belongings and boxes were spread everywhere. Therefore, she figured a quick walk through the park might do her some good.

Michael had reported for his new job today and it left Marie feeling lonely. When they spent time together, it at least helped to keep her grounded and her mind distracted. However, when left alone, her free time allowed her mind to wander to places she really didn't want it to go. Suddenly, all of the horrible scenarios of what could have happened to her daughter played out in her mind. She hated it. Michael had made the suggestion that they should try and talk to someone, a counselor. She had shot the idea down. It was just something she wasn't ready to do.

During her walk, the amusement park section came into full view. She watched as the big carousel spun around and a number of little children excitedly waited their turn to get on the ride. The scene caused a smile to break free. Suddenly, a woman and her young children caught Marie's attention. The woman stood behind a baby stroller with two, small children by her side. She appeared flustered as she struggled to keep the small kids in line, balance the baby in one arm, and push the stroller. The mother had just handed the two older children an ice-cream purchased at a local refreshment stand but the little girl appeared to be in the beginning stages of a temper tantrum. The woman began to leave and Marie was about to walk away too when she noticed how the distracted mother had left her purse behind. Rushing forward, she grabbed it and called out.

"Uh, excuse me?" she shouted, while running to catch up with the woman that was now a few feet ahead of her.

The other woman turned around to locate the source of the yelling.

"Sorry," Marie panted out of breath after she caught up with her. "Here, you left this behind and something tells me you'll be needing it." She laughed lightly.

After looking down and catching sight of her purse, which a stranger was now handing back to her, the grateful woman brought her hand up to her chest and let out a giant sigh of relief.

"Oh! Thank you so much!" she exclaimed. "Kids, you know?"

Then the woman with the children released a laugh before looking up into the face of the other woman. After taking in her full appearance, she suddenly noted the familiar, long, raven-colored hair that fell into a body wave along with the quick flash of bright blue-green eyes. Finally, while staring directly into the face of the woman who had just retrieved her purse, her eyes immediately bulged with instantaneous recognition.

"Oh my god! Prue?" she called out to the other woman standing before her.

Marie stood silent, a look of bewilderment spreading across her face.

_Prue? _

However, she just as quickly reasoned that the woman had to have mistaken her for someone else. Yet, something deep down inside of her had sprung to life when that name had been mentioned. It was that same odd feeling of deja vu again. Did she know this woman from somewhere? Did this woman know her?

"Excuse me?" Marie questioned. "Oh no, sorry. My name is actually Marie. Marie Holloway." She smiled warmly and extended her hand while introducing herself.

The other woman continued to stare feeling absolutely awestruck. She had heard people joke around before and say that everyone out there has a twin but this was way too freaky. This woman actually looked like was the identical twin of Prue Halliwell. Shaking her head once, she broke herself out of her dazed stupor.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude," she apologized, trying to recover from her momentary lapse. "You look exactly like someone I use to know," the woman replied and extended her hand in return. "My name is Shelia. Shelia Morris." She smiled back at the woman.

"That's alright. It's nice to meet you." Then turning her attention to the kids, Marie knelt down to reach about eye-level with the two, older children. The little girl doesn't look to be much older than Molly would be, she thought. "And it's very nice to meet you two as well. What are your names?" she came out and asked the children in a sweet, motherly fashion.

"Darryl Junior," the little boy exclaimed proudly. "She's my sister and her name is Marissa."

"Really?" proclaimed Marie. "I like those names."

"Thanks!" replied little Darryl. "We do too!"

Marie and Shelia laughed while Marie stood back up. Shelia proceeded to make conversation because she was still very curious about the woman standing with her. _Darryl would freak if he saw her, _she couldn't help but think to herself.

"So, I guess you must know what it's like then. How many do you have?" Shelia asked while laughing. Then she brought the conversation to an abrupt halt when she noticed the woman's facial features suddenly turn into a mask of sorrow. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "Was it something I said?" she asked with concern.

Marie shook her head.

"Uh, no. It's nothing," she denied. "I'm married but we don't have any kids."

She attempted to cover up her reaction with a small laugh of her own. It wasn't something she wanted to get into with a complete stranger. But was she really a stranger, she found herself asking. However, she put that momentary speculation aside.

"Sorry, I just assumed. You seem so natural with them," remarked Shelia in an attempt to clear the air.

However, the other woman's body language indicated that she appeared to be hiding something else but Shelia decided not to pry or press the issue any further because, quite frankly, she had just met this woman and it was really none of her business. Besides, maybe she was reading into something that wasn't there?

_Must be all those years I've spent married to a cop, _thought Shelia.

"Well, I hate to cut this short but I really do have to get going," came Marie's hasty reply. "But it was nice meeting you." Marie retreated and as the she left, Shelia just stared after her at the same time she went to grab for her cell phone.

"Mommy, who was that woman?" came little Darryl's question.

"I'm not sure yet, baby," came his mother's reply. While she was attempting to dial a number, her cell phone rang in at the same time. The caller ID registered as her husband's number. _Good, just the person I wanted to speak with, _she thought. She answered. "Darryl?"

"Shelia?" came her husband's response.

"You're never going to believe who I thought I saw today!" came both of their simultaneous responses over the phone.

**ooooo**

"Billie, are you out of your mind?" came Piper's agitated response. "She could be a demon. What if she had killed you?"

"Yeah, why didn't you come to us right away?" inquired Paige.

Billie and the sisters were all sitting in the living room. They had listened to Billie's tale of how Christy had reappeared out of nowhere in their parents home, claiming to be her real sister. And how she had never seen nor met Billie since the abduction. Then, Billie had offered up her theory about a shape-shifting demon that could have taken her sister's place and that, instead, that's who she had found and killed earlier this year.

Billie tried to defend herself.

"Look, I was just looking out for you guys, okay? After what I did earlier this year, I just didn't want to put you guys in any more danger without being sure. Besides, she's been staying with me at my parents' house for a week and nothing remotely weird has happened. I don't think she has any powers at all!"

At this point, Phoebe jumped into the conversation. She tried to address the issue by remaining as sensitive as possible but logical at the same time.

"Okay, Billie, but you do know this can still be a trap, right? I mean, what if it really was your sister that you vanquished six months ago? What if the girl that's with you right now is a demon? Just because you haven't seen any evidence of powers yet doesn't mean she's not hiding them. It's a possibility you have to consider, sweetie."

"Yeah, and not to bring up a sore spot or anything," added Paige "but it's not like the demonic world doesn't know you killed your sister. What better way to play on your vulnerabilities than to use Christy to break you down. Or some form of her anyway."

Feeling frustrated, Billie sighed. She closed her eyes and brought her hands to her face.

"I know all this. Believe me, I've considered it all and know it's possible. That's why I took some time to figure out if she was telling the truth or not. And I'm not sure so that's why I'm here now. For your help."

Piper shook her head still feeling frustrated by the whole situation. "Billie, you still should have told us. You never should have tried to handle it alone without consulting us first. Especially when a revelation like this involves us."

"Piper, I'm not going to screw up again, I swear!" Billie protested. "Can't you at least try and trust me a little bit?"

She felt horrible about everything that happened between them and she had no intentions of ever turning on the sisters again. Billie had made that one promise to herself and she wanted the sisters to be able to trust her again but Piper just didn't want to give her a break.

"Billie, this has nothing to do with trust!" denied Piper. "This is about experience and we've been around a little bit longer to know, right away, when something isn't right!"

"Look, I get that I'm not as experienced as you guys otherwise I wouldn't be here now asking for help. But I'm not a total idiot either and I think I can handle this!" Billie argued back.

The discussion was quickly turning into a heated debate between Piper and Billie. Phoebe and Paige picked up on it and tensed up at the prospect of another argument involving Billie. Phoebe was momentarily taken back in time to when she and Prue would argue in similar fashion. Then she continued to watch the ongoing debate play out. Paige, shaking her head back and forth in the process, looked to Phoebe for some type of rescue. Apparently, Paige didn't want to get in the middle of the argument anymore than Phoebe did. So they both exchanged looks and did their best to stay out of it.

"You can handle it?" Piper raised her voice, intent on throwing back a retort. "Well, you know what? My sister Prue thought that she could handle everything too and guess where that got her? She's dead! And you're taking the same annoying risks with your life that she did with hers!"

"Piper?" Phoebe finally jumped in, coming to Billie's rescue.

While she agreed that Billie made a mistake by not coming to them right away, Piper's outburst went a little overboard. Especially, defiling the memory of their dead sister in order to make a point. After all, Billie did have a point of her own because she wasn't completely powerless or defenseless. Also, the truth was that there would be times that she would need to know how to fend for herself because the sisters wouldn't always be there to assist in every situation. Besides, the only thing that mattered this time was that she came to them before it was too late.

Piper looked at her sister but already realized that she went too far especially after she saw the stunned expression on Billie's face. The poor girl looked at a loss for words. She attempted an apology.

"Billie, I'm sorry. That was out of line. You never knew Prue and it's certainly not your fault what happened to her. It's just that with everything that's been going on around here lately, especially with the news that the Triad will be back, we really need to know that we can count on you a hundred percent. And that means letting us know things and coming to us right away so we can look into it."

_Prue. _

_So then she was another sister?_ _Another Charmed One? _

In all her time that she had known the sisters, it was a name Billie heard mentioned maybe once or twice. But nothing more was ever brought up or said about her. A few times, because her curiosity had gotten the better of her, she had been tempted to ask who Prue was. And now she knew the answer. However, she was also glad she never bothered to bring the subject up because apparently whatever happened was still a very sore subject for Piper. So she decided to let the insult pass. After all, she knew what it felt like to lose a sister and she wasn't one to hold grudges. Suddenly, it made alot of sense to Billie why Piper had reacted the way she did regarding the news about Christy. First, they find out that the Triad's still not dead and then Christy is mysteriously resurrected? Hm, she had to admit that she was starting to have more doubts.

"Forget about it," Billie responded. "But did you just say the Triad? I thought you already got rid of those guys?"

"Well, we thought so too but apparently not because according to another demon source they're unvanquishable. That and there's still one member left that we knew nothing about," answered Phoebe.

"And that's only part of the problem. The only way they can be vanquished is through the Ultimate Power which, apparently, also still exists out there somewhere," added Piper.

"Which, up until now, we thought had been you and Christy," concluded Paige.

"But it's not?" asked Billie.

Suddenly, she felt confused. How did she vanquish the Noxen Demon this year if she wasn't a part of the Ultimate Power that she had been told she was? He had been unvanquishable and now he was gone. Unless, maybe he wasn't really gone? All these questions kept running through her mind at full speed. And her best guess was that it probably had something to do with who she really might be. She considered whether she should bring that particular secret up and whether it was relevant. But she decided that she wasn't ready to share that yet. It was too personal.

"Well, we're not exactly sure about anything right now. The demon wasn't exactly too forthcoming with the information on the Ultimate Power front. I guess the only real way to find out is to start with this girl claiming to be your real sister. If she and her story turn out to be the real deal, we can help protect her, work with her to open and explore her abilities, and go from there," advised Piper. "Maybe you and your sister are the real Ultimate Power and they just didn't want us to know Christy was still alive."

"Sounds like an evil plan to me," commented Paige. "Besides it would make sense for the Nauscas demon to lie to us if the real Christy was still alive this whole time. Maybe they've just been waiting for her powers to show up but they never did?" She shrugged.

"Which could support Billie's theory and explain why they could have used a shape-shifting demon in her place. To lure Billie to their side while waiting for the real Christy's powers to show up," suggested Piper. "And I'm going to take it a step further and venture a guess that's why that little girl was needed."

"Right," nodded Paige. "The little girl is a witch and the shapeshifter would have needed to look like a witch. So they needed her powers in order to convince Billie that she was really her sister."

"Wait, what little girl?" asked Billie when she heard that particular piece of information revealed. However, the sisters were too focused on their own speculations to even notice that she had asked them the question.

"But why snatch the little girl's powers? I mean, if Christy's power is part of the Ultimate Power they needed all along?" asked Phoebe. "That little girl is new to her powers, she couldn't possibly be that powerful. Why did the Triad think that power could destroy us and better yet, how did it almost destroy us?" she cringed.

"Well, they probably figured they would at least have Billie. Christy's powers not showing up was probably some fluke they weren't counting on and they took a chance with a demon in her place. But who cares why they thought it. It almost worked," Piper pointed out again, referring to what could have been their demise.

"So then the real Christy has still been alive in the Underworld this whole time? And they just let her go? That seems way too easy for me," Phoebe contributed.

"Easy maybe, but if it really is Christy, at least this time we'll have them both on our side," added Paige, happy to contribute to what they believed they had figured out.

"We'll probably have to work with her for awhile before she and Billie would be ready to go up against the Triad and vanquish them for good," Phoebe added. "Are we up for that chore?"

"Hey, guys, hello! What little girl?" Billie interjected again. She really was curious; however, once again her question went ignored.

"Well, I really don't see any other choice, do you?" asked Piper. "We'll have to make time to do it. Especially if we want the Triad gone for good."

"And we still have to work on tracking down where this little girl came from. Hopefully the parents are still alive and we can return her home safe and sound," added Paige.

Billie just rolled her eyes. It annoyed her when the sisters would sometimes act like she wasn't even in the room with them. However, she felt a twinge of guilt by not telling the sisters about her possible, unknown origins because something just didn't make sense here. She could feel it and while she hated to admit it, her gut was telling her that the Nauscas demon had been telling the truth. Which was that she and Christy were not the real Ultimate Power. Especially if Christy was just mortal, which she strongly suspected. So, darn, she was probably going to have to tell them sooner than she would have liked. Maybe she could start with Phoebe but first they needed to find out if this girl was, indeed, the real Christy.

"Hello?" Billie shouted this time around. "You guys do realize I'm still in the room, right?" She looked at each one of the sisters for confirmation.

"Oh, sorry, what did you say?" mocked Piper.

In response, Billie just rolled her eyes again. "I was just asking about the little girl!" she clarified.

"Oh, well, she's this young witch we believe a Triad member had kidnapped. But she escaped. A Nauscas demon was tracking her down," explained Phoebe.

"Yeah, and I conveniently happen to be her new social worker so I'm trying to track down the parents," added Paige.

"Wait, the Nauscas demon, right? I think I remember reading about that demon in the book," Billie remarked. "Don't they go after witches that are still children or something like that and try to steal their powers?"

"Well, they don't have to be children but they usually are. The Nauscas demons track down any witches that are new to their powers which, in turn, makes them more vulnerable," Piper finished.

"Oh! So, you think the Triad kidnapped her so they could steal her powers and then gave them to a shape-shifter that pretended to be Christy?" asked Billie.

"Well, yeah, that's the running theory. For now," confirmed Paige.

"Okay, everything remains speculation until we find out if the real Christy is still alive. And whether there ever was a shape-shifter demon to begin with. Remember, Christy may still be dead because you killed her, Billie. And this woman claiming to be your sister can very well be a demon. Are you sure you're prepared for this?" Piper addressed Billie.

"Yes, absolutely," Billie assured her.

Piper sighed. "Well, let's get to it then. Where is she?"

"I left her at the house until I cleared all of this with you first," answered Billie.

"Alright. Well, Paige, why don't you and Billie go orb and pick her up? Bring her back here and Phoebe and I will get started on trying to find a way to track down this last Triad before we have to deal with all of them."

"And we'll prepare some potions for back-up. Just in case," added Phoebe.

And with that said, Billie and Paige left the manor while Piper and Phoebe made their way to the attic determined to find more answers.

**ooooo**

Inside one of the many high-rises found in the city, Darryl and Shelia Morris stepped off of the elevator and onto the seventh floor. They were slowly making their way down the long corridor looking for apartment 733. Both were clad in their dress attire which signaled they were prepared to go out for dinner. Their children had been left at home with a babysitter for the evening.

"Are you sure this is such a good idea?" Shelia hissed to her husband while walking beside him. "What on earth are we even suppose to say? Hey, you two are dead ringers for two dead people we use to know. So, we thought we'd just waltz on by around 8:00 at night just to let you know about it. Or, hey, even better," she continued on in her sarcastic monotone, "Mind giving us a DNA sample to ease our conscious?"

Darryl just rolled his eyes. "Give it a rest, Shelia. We'll think of something to say but I need to see this for myself. There's just no way that two people identical to two dead people we use to know happen to be married to each other. Sorry, but I'm a cop and that's too much of a coincidence even for me!"

An older-looking man passed by them on the way down the hall and they just flashed him a smile. When they reached the apartment door they were looking for, Darryl proceeded to knock. When the door opened, he was greeted by a woman. A woman he thought he would never see again, at least not in this lifetime. There she stood before him in a long-sleeved, yellow shirt with a matching pair of night pants. Her long wavy hair flowed over one of her shoulders while the rest was hidden down her back.

"Hi. Um, can I help you?" came the woman's response when she didn't recognize them.

It took a few moments for the woman's voice to register before Darryl finally pulled himself together enough so he could respond. He couldn't help but stare but he quickly covered up.

"Oh, sorry, I think we have the wrong apartment," he made a slight laugh. "We're looking for our friends, the McCallisters. They just moved here from out of state and I thought we had the right apartment number ..." he trailed off as he made it appear like he was searching his coat and pant pockets for something with the number written on it.

As Darryl played his part, Shelia quickly jumped in with a rescue.

"Hey, have we met somewhere before?" quirking her eyebrows in concentration to make it look convincing. "You look very familiar?" Darryl looked back up to his wife as she grabbed the young woman's attention.

"Um, no, I don't think so," came the woman's response, followed by a quizzical expression.

"Oh wait, I remember, it was in the park," she exclaimed, faking a surprised reaction. "Earlier this evening, I left my purse behind and you gave it back to me. Uh, it was Mary or Maureen ... no Marie, right?" She flashed the woman her best smile.

The woman visibly relaxed, as she too, finally remembered. "Oh, right. The purse? And you had those adorable kids of yours with you. I didn't recognize you. You look very nice dressed up. Uh, was it Shelia?" she questioned the other woman.

"Thank you. You're so sweet. And, yes, it is Shelia," she replied, while giving her husband a side-way glance with her eyes silently expressing to him it was time to find a way to leave now that he saw what he needed to see.

However, just as Darryl was about to attempt a way out of the conversation, a man's voice could be heard traveling up to the front of the apartment as he suddenly came into view. Shelia couldn't believe it. This man looked exactly like Darryl's old partner, Andy Trudeau. He was a bit older, of course, and he now sported a matching goatee to go with the color of his hair. One could make out that he was still nicely built as he approached the door in his white-tee and pants. She was struck speechless.

"Hey, hon, who's at the door?" he asked. The woman, Marie, turned around as he approached and was about to answer, when he recognized the man standing there. "Captain?" the man exclaimed, while standing beside his wife at the front door. "What are you doing here?" he asked, curiosity taking over. "Is there something about the job that we need to go over ..."

Before Darryl could reply back, Marie cut in and responded for him.

"Oh they're just looking for their friends who live in our building. I think they just got lost, that's all." She turned back to address Darryl again. "But it's nice to meet the man my husband will be working for." She reached out to shake his hand.

Darryl took her hand and a chill ran through him. He had to admit it was eerie looking at the two of them standing together side-by-side.

"Yeah, sorry to disturb you like that." Then, he turned to address his wife. "And I think I lost that number so we're going to go have to go check on that apartment number again, Shelia."

"Sorry we can't help you there," offered Michael. "We've just moved in and don't know any of the neighbors. But, I'm sure the front desk could help you out." He smiled. " And I'm sorry, we'd invite you in but as you can see there's nowhere to sit down," he laughed as both of the Morris's could make out piles of boxes through the doorway. "The joys of moving," he concluded.

Darryl and Shelia both smiled. "Thanks, but we wouldn't want to be any later for that dinner date than we already are," replied Darryl. "So, hon, we better get going." Shelia smiled back at her husband. "See you at work, Michael."

As the two couples parted ways, Darryl and Shelia waited to speak until the door of the Holloway residence could be heard shutting and they were down the hall.

"So what now?" asked Shelia.

"Well, it was enough to convince me. I want to do another background check. And if things don't add up right, it's time for a little cross-country call to the sisters," Darryl answered back. The couple proceeded to exit the building for their evening out as Darryl briefly reflected on the same older gentleman who had just passed by them in the hall again.

**ooooo**

The sisters sat huddled in a circle, each pulling together ingredients for a potion mix, while Billie sat with Christy across the attic. They had been observing her closely ever since she had arrived about an hour ago.

"Well, she seems harmless enough," commented Phoebe in a low whisper.

"Yeah, well, looks can be deceiving," Piper replied back looking over her shoulder. "And until we know for sure, we keep a close watch and remain suspicious."

"And she barely said anything when we got back there," added Paige. "It was liking trying to pull teeth getting her to talk about anything."

"And that's not much different than the Christy Billie brought back before," replied Piper.

"I know and doesn't all this just seem a little too convenient? First the Triad. Now Christy?" Paige offered up.

Phoebe observed the scene with interest. Billie was talking and smiling along with Christy. Christy seemed to be comfortable within her sister's presence and a few times she could have sworn she heard her laugh. However, while the scene looked touching on the outside, it brought a slight frown to Phoebe's face. Billie appeared relaxed, too relaxed, which meant one thing. She was probably letting her guard down which could prove dangerous in the end. It was the one thing she and her sisters had feared. Billie was vulnerable right now whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Paige was watching her sister and picked up on what she was thinking. "They sure are cozy over there, aren't they?" she muttered to Phoebe.

Piper turned her head back around to watch with her other two sisters.

"Yeah, well, for Billie's sake let's just hope that really is Christy. She may appear strong on the outside but I doubt she could handle having to kill her sister twice," Phoebe reflected.

The sisters returned to what they were doing. All of a sudden, a draft could be felt. Piper looked up and around to see if she could locate the source.

"Hey, did you just feel that?" she asked the other two sisters.

"Feel what?" asked Paige.

Phoebe looked at her other two sisters. "I don't feel anything. Wait!" she exclaimed. "I can feel it now, what is that a breeze?"

"I don't know but I don't like it," Piper responded as she pulled herself up from the chair. Phoebe and Paige did the same thing, each looking around for anything amiss.

Suddenly, before their eyes, a bright flash flickered throughout the attic, temporarily blinding them and sending them to the floor.

"Billie?" Phoebe had shouted out.

At the same time, Billie had thrown her sister to the floor. Christy, in return, had let out a scream. "We're okay!" she had shouted back.

However, everything wasn't okay. When everyone regained use of their sight a few moments later, they could see a young woman standing in the middle of the attic. All eyes turned to Christy and then back to the woman. Because standing there before them was a woman identical to Christy. She remained in position, with a smirk plastered across her face, alluding confidence.

"It's a shape-shifter!" yelled Billie.

"We know Billie, we got it!" Phoebe yelled back.

All three sisters released potion bottles aimed at the demon. Then, all of a sudden, they got the shock of their lives. The woman used her hand to deflect the vials which in turn flew back toward the Charmed Ones, exploding, and sending them all flying off their feet. The three sisters hit the ground with a loud thud. Billie, witnessing the whole disaster, panicked when she saw the woman turn in her direction. She stepped in front of her sister to protect her and lifted her hand to send the woman flying. However, the end result was the same for Billie as it had been for the sisters. The demon deflected her power sending her flying backwards and crashing into the attic wall. The impact was so hard it left Billie unconscious.

"Now, what I came for," the female demon stated.

The demon approached the young woman huddled, into a ball, near the corner. The woman didn't fight nor resist when the demon proceeded to touch and shimmer out with her. Piper, still on the floor, rolled over in time to see the demon shimmering out with Christy.

"Ah, damn it!" she exclaimed.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **dun dun dun dun. **Lol, **just kidding. I'll be back with an other update in a few days.


	6. Confessions

Welcome to my new reviewer, **Charmed225**. I'm glad that you're enjoying how I write the sisters. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure how I would pull off the Piper/Phoebe/Paige interaction because I was such a big fan of the original sister trio, Prue/Piper/Phoebe. But it's good to hear from someone that they think I can do it, **lol**.

And, on with the story ... **:o)**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Confessions**

The charcoal walls in the dark, Underworld cavern were lit by torches.

Gideon stood in the center of a circle that was created from small stones. These stones that lined the perimeter of the circular formation were not just any ordinary stones. Within these stones, enough dark magic was contained in order to unlock the box. A box Gideon now held in his hands. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be immersed within a deep, meditative state while he chanted something in Latin. However, he was released from his trance-like state when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps. He opened his eyes without turning around to face the intruder.

"Is it done?" he demanded to know.

"Is what done?" questioned a cocky, female voice.

At the sound of the unexpected voice, Gideon spun around only to come face-to-face with Lana.

"What are you doing here?" he shouted. "You're not suppose to be here! And how did you find me, I had this cavern magically sealed off from everyone?!"

Lana smirked in her usual, haughty way.

"Well, either my sensing capabilities are improving or yours are slipping Gideon!" she mocked. "Besides, I am part Triad which makes me a part of the collective. Why do you find it shocking that I would be able to sense and find you?"

Gideon didn't reply. However, a big part of him wished he could just blast her into oblivion because she was becoming more trouble than she was worth with her hidden innuendos and her cocky nature. He didn't trust her and if for one moment she thought she would be capable of a double-cross anywhere in the near future then she had another thing coming.

"My point is," he stressed, "that you belong working on Billie while I handle other matters. So why are you here?"

"The Billie situation is under control. In fact, I suspect that she and the sisters will be paying us a little visit very soon," Lana announced, feeling very proud of herself. "So we should be ready for them."

Gideon narrowed his eyes. "Why would they be doing that? Unless, you've led them to me which in that case ..." he started to argue but was interrupted by Lana.

"Relax, Gideon. They don't know who you are. At least not yet anyway. They'll be coming for Christy," she explained.

"Christy?" he asked with confusion evident in his voice.

"Yes, Christy," she replied with a sardonic smile on her face. "Like I told you, I have it all under control. So, don't ask any more questions. But what I do want to know is how things are coming on your end?" Her eyes narrowed as she waited for his response.

"It's taking more time to find the little girl than I had hoped because I had to get rid of the Nauscas tracking her down. The idiot got caught by one of the Charmed Ones. They summoned him back which almost led to my exposure. But I've sent another one out after her," Gideon detailed to Lana.

"And what about the other situation?" she inquired.

"The other situation should be taken care of as soon as I hear back from Dannon," replied Gideon. "Which I haven't yet so where the hell is that buffoon?" he shouted into the air. "That's the most important threat we need to eliminate."

"I gather that's who you mistook me for?" questioned Lana. Then noticing the box in Gideon's hands, she became curious. "What is that?"

Gideon looked down to the box and back up again before answering.

"This, my dear Lana, will put an end to the Twice-Blessed Generation. As soon as we eliminate the threat of the Ultimate Power, we can make our move against them."

Lana's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I asked what it was, not what it would do!" she pointed out in her haughty manner.

Gideon smiled with arrogant satisfaction.

_Good, _he thought. _She's questioning my motives. She should because if there's any way to get rid of her when I'm done using her, I will! _Then, he proceeded to answer her as he patted the top of the box with his hand.

"This ... is Pandora's Box!"

"Pandora's Box? I thought that was just myth. A legend?" remarked Lana.

"Well, it is. To most of the magical community." Gideon smirked. "However, as a former high-ranking Elder, I was privy to many magical secrets. It was all about order and maintaining the balance of power. Some mystical objects, such as the Hollow, carry a concentration of too much power. So they are meant to be locked away, never to be opened."

Suddenly, Gideon's features turned very dark as he reflected on a destiny that no longer belonged to him. A destiny that brought him to where he was now.

"But they could never respect or appreciate me for trying to do that! Sometimes unnatural concentrations of power could be found in people and that needed to be stopped at all costs!"

"Well, how did you get your hands on it, then?" asked Lana. "And if it's as dangerous as the Hollow, what's going to happen to us when you open it?"

"I killed the Guardian, that's how I got it," sneered Gideon. "The box will be used to pull in the essences of the Twice Blessed Generation. It won't be used to let anything else out!"

"Yes, but how do you know you won't?" argued Lana. "It's not what's going in that concerns me, it's what you could be letting out!"

Gideon just rolled his eyes. "Nothing will be released with the right incantation. And the use of these stones. Unfortunately for the Guardian, he refused to be forthcoming with it so I was forced to scan his memory banks. Which I was successful with I might add." He smirked with an evil grin.

Lana didn't like it but she felt forced to go along with the plan for the time being. At least until the others resurrected and then maybe they could decimate such an asinine scheme. Or better yet, decimate him?

"So when will the others be back?" she asked.

"In time," came Gideon's vague response. "Remember, the Triad has been vanquished before while you've been vanquished merely once. It will take them longer to regenerate. But they'll be back," he guaranteed.

"They'll be back," he muttered to himself one last time.

**ooooo**

Billie's eyes slowly fluttered open as a searing, bright light made its way through causing her to flinch. She was regaining consciousness but the brightness hurt her eyes. There was a cold compress being held against her head, she could feel it. As she attempted to sit upright, she was struck by a pounding sensation that coarsed throughout her head.

"Ow," Billie wailed, slamming her body back against the mattress. She brought her hand up behind the back of her head.

_Wait, mattress, _she thought for a second. _How did I get from the attic to the bed? _

And that's when she heard the sound of a masculine voice.

"Hey, take it easy there. That's quite a nasty bump you took to the head," came the stern but concerned reply.

"Leo?" muttered Billie.

He helped her support her body weight against the head-board on the bed. As her eye sight came back into focus, she could definitely make out that she wasn't in the attic anymore. _Where am I? What happened? _The last thing she remembered was flying across the attic and then, boom, everything went black. Then it all hit her like a ton of bricks.

Billie bolted upright. "Christy?" she exclaimed loudly. "Oh my god, Christy! Where is she?"

"Billie, take it easy," answered Leo. "You had a head injury and you've been in and out of consciousness all night. Paige took care of the major damage but you still need to be careful," he insisted.

He hoped he could keep her calm and distracted until Piper returned. Leo knew Billie's back-story and how her sister had been kidnapped when they were still kids, but he didn't want to be the one to tell her that Christy was gone once again.

"Wait, I've been out all night? What time is it?" Billie started to panic, looking to the side of her for an alarm clock.

"It's just after nine," answered Leo.

"In the morning? But, I don't see Christy! Where is she?" Billie pressed on.

"Billie, I think you should just rest and when the girls get back ..." Leo started but was interrupted by her.

"Just answer the question, Leo. Where's my sister?" she pleaded, as the brims of her eyes filled with tears.

Leo sighed and was about to explain when the bedroom door opened. Piper walked in carrying a tray of food. He was visibly relieved because he would let Piper take it from here.

"Hey, sunshine, you're awake!" Piper exclaimed. "We were worried. Paige healed you but you wouldn't come out of it."

She placed the breakfast, she had made, down on the nightstand beside the bed. Then, she sat down on the edge of the bed taking on that unique, motherly quality that everyone associated with Piper. She reached forward to remove the cold compress from Billie's forehead and replaced it with a brand new one.

"Listen, Piper, not that I don't appreciate it but there's no way that I can eat right now. Not until I know that Christy's safe," she answered with determination.

"Billie, you need to take it easy. If Christy is in trouble, we'll find a way to get her back, but until then we need to be careful about all this," responded Piper.

Billie felt defensive. "What do you mean _if _she's in trouble? If you're telling me that demon took Christy last night than that means she's in big trouble and we have to get her back. Right now!" Billie shouted.

She slammed the cold compress onto the bed beside her and attempted to get up but was halted by Piper who put her hand up against her to block her path.

"Billie, stop!" exclaimed Piper. "What happened to being open-minded and ready to handle this? Listen, we need to think this through. We can't just react on our emotions, it can get us killed. She can be anywhere in the Underworld and we need to see if we can get a location first."

Leo quietly listened to the entire debate when he decided to put his sense into it.

"Yeah, and besides, you're going to need Paige to orb you down there," he added. "And you really do need to come up with a plan first."

Piper tried to come across as empathetic as she could in the situation. _Although, that's more Phoebe's department, _she added as an afterthought.

"Look, Billie, I highly doubt they've kept her alive this long just so they could kill her now," she reasoned.

"She's probably being used as a pawn to trap you into coming to rescue her right away," Leo interjected with his opinion for the second time. "Which is even more of a reason to take some time and think this through."

"Leo's right." Piper agreed. "We need to make sure this isn't a trap!"

Billie listened and then looked to the ceiling as the tears she fought to hold in began streaming down her cheeks. She brought her shirt sleeve to her face and wiped against the watery onslaught. Piper felt herself soften at the emotional sight before her.

"I know this is hard, sweetie," she tried to soothe.

"No! You just don't get it!" came Billie's emotional response. Tears were still making their way down the sides of her face. "It's all my fault. All of it!"

Piper and Leo listened intently. Piper shook her head not grasping what Billie was getting at.

"None of this is your fault. It's no body's fault except the demon who did this."

Billie continued with her tearful declarations.

"No. I mean, they never would have died if it wasn't for me. Christy never would have been taken. I'm the one they were really after!"

Piper and Billie had their differences in the past, but she felt her heart go out to the teenager who sat beside her. She moved herself closer to her and embraced her in a hug. Not surprisingly, Billie reached back out and accepted the comfort. The poor girl had been through so much in the past year between losing her parents and her sister that it only made sense she would break sooner or later.

Billie felt waves of emotion overtake her. Out of all the sisters, Piper was the last one she expected to be sitting next to pouring her heart out to. But here she was and now was as good a time as any to reveal the _big secret_. Although, she had planned to be having this conversation with Phoebe first. However, fate apparently had stepped in and made the decision for her. After calming down, she broke out of the hug and made an attempt to explain what she had been trying to during her emotional outburst.

Billie took a deep breath. "I don't think Christy and I are the Ultimate Power," came her confession. "And I don't think Christy is a witch."

Leo and Piper looked to each other and then back to Billie.

"What makes you think that?" asked Piper. She was curious to know how Billie had reached that conclusion.

"Because I think I'm adopted," came Billie's admission. "Which makes Christy and my parents mortal!"

**ooooo**

Paige inserted the key into the lock of her apartment, yearning to get inside for a warm bath and some sleep. She had called out of work after the long night she had with her sisters. They had spent most of the night worrying about Billie, trying to ID the demon, and scrying for a location.

As she entered the apartment, she kicked off her shoes and sighed.

_Finally, I can relax, _she thought.

Then, she brought herself to an abrupt stop as she encountered Henry sitting at the kitchen table, a solemn expression on his face as he stared back at her.

"Henry!" she exclaimed.

"Where have you been all night?" he asked. He sounded frustrated.

_There goes that bath, _she thought before responding.

"Uh, aren't you suppose to be at work?" she asked, as she approached the cabinet and grabbed a mug to pour herself some coffee that Henry had made.

"I can ask you the same thing," he countered. "And you still haven't answered my question," he continued as he stood up from the table and approached her.

After pouring the coffee and taking a giant gulp, Paige turned around to face her husband.

"Look, I'm sorry I forgot to call, okay? I know it's the courteous thing to do. But I was stuck at the manor trying to figure out this huge problem we're having tracking down a demon." Paige walked around him and into their living room. Henry followed her.

"Well, how about taking some time to keep track of your marriage, Paige?" exclaimed Henry.

"And what is that suppose to mean?" Paige snapped back, feeling offended by her husband's innuendo.

"What it means is that you can't keep running away from the marriage and using your witch status to do it!" he declared.

Paige felt her anger creep in.

"Wait a second, here. So, because I'm not ready to have a baby that means I'm running away from the marriage. For your information, a little girl's life may be at stake here. And another girl may have been taken by demons last night! Right out of the manor. So, excuse me if I take my witch status a little too seriously," she responded angrily. She reached into her side pocket to grab her cell phone and dialed a number.

Henry sighed.

"Look, Paige, I don't want to fight with you. I don't. And I know that what you do makes a big difference in the world. But these last six months you've been free from all that demon stuff and what was your excuse then? Piper made it work. And I'm sure that Phoebe plans to, so what's holding us back? That's all I want to know."

Paige proceeded to ignore him as she made her call.

"Hi. Mr. Brennan? Yeah, I'm sorry but it looks like I'll be making it to work today after all. Yup. Okay. See you in a bit." Paige made her way back into the kitchen to grab her purse and car keys. She slipped back into her shoes.

"Paige?" Henry called after her as he followed her into the kitchen. "Paige?"

She made her way to the door, opened it, and then turned back around.

"And just for the record, I'm not Piper or Phoebe!" she exclaimed as she exited and then slammed the door.

Henry just let out a giant sigh and threw his hands up in the air.

"Great," he muttered while walking away.

**ooooo**

Dannon slowly made his way back down the long corridor until he reached apartment 733. He could have taken care of this last night if that dumb cop and his wife hadn't interfered with his plans. They had passed by him in the long corridor, flashing him a smile, and were heading in the direction of the same apartment he was looking for. He knew he needed to get this taken care of and fast. Gideon would be expecting him to report back soon.

The demon made a quick inspection up and down the corridor. He made sure nobody was around and then he shimmered out of sight.

**ooooo**

Marie stood at the kitchen sink rinsing the last of the dishes and placing them into the dish washer. There was still so much unpacking to get done and she knew it would take time but that's not what was primarily on her mind. She kept thinking back to the night before and the man, Darryl, who turned out to be her husband's boss. He seemed oddly familiar and so did his wife. Like she knew them from some place. But where?

As she finished the dishes, Michael had just walked around the corner fixing the knot in his tie. He took in his wife's appearance and smiled. She hadn't gotten the opportunity to change yet but she was beautiful, even dressed in simple nightwear. He really did love her and could not imagine a life without her. After all, she was the glue that held him together after the kidnapping last year. But he had been thinking alot lately and he really didn't like her locking herself away in the house. It had almost become routine for her ever since it happened. He wanted to encourage her to get back out into the world and do something.

_There really was no use living in the past because it wouldn't change anything._

In fact, sometimes Michael thought it was just better not to know what had happened. At least that way he could pretend that Molly was alive and well, living with some desperate person who wanted a child to love. He decided to break the silence.

"So did you think about what I said?" he asked her gently.

At the sound of his voice, Marie turned around and smiled at him. Then she took a few steps forward and planted a light kiss on his lips before walking around him.

"Yes," came her vague reply.

"And?" Michael pressed.

While turning around to face her and placing his hands on the side of his hips, she began to busy herself with the task of washing down the small, kitchen table. He made his way over to her and gently grabbed the wash rag out of her hand. She stood upright to face him.

"And, nothing!" she stressed, in a stubborn fashion. "I think it's a waste of time. It's a male-dominated profession and I've been out of the field about four years now. It's a very competitive field and there's no way I can just jump back into it!"

_Why did she have to be so stubborn?_

Michael rolled his eyes. He knew what her competitive edge had been like when he met her so he knew she was making excuses.

"Marie, come on. Since when have you let something like that stop you? I've seen some of your portfolios. The photographs are amazing. I really think you should try and get back out there. It'll do you some good."

She immediately became defensive.

"Oh, you mean _good _as in let's just pretend like it never happened," she declared in a harsh tone. "Let's just pretend like every thing's normal, right?"

Michael sighed in exasperation. "Marie, you know that's not what I meant. But you're not allowing yourself to move on. And you're not living your life when all you do is keep yourself locked up inside of a house or an apartment all day long."

"Wait a minute," she exclaimed. The discussion was quickly turning into a heated argument. "So, you're saying because I don't work outside of the house that means I don't have a life? I certainly didn't hear you complaining over the last four years!" she replied heatedly.

"Stop twisting around what I'm saying," Michael raised his voice. "Why do you always do that? I only try to help and you throw it back in my face!

"Well, maybe that's because I don't need your kind of help!" she snapped back. "And I certainly don't want it!"

"I don't care if you want it just learn to accept it! Because Molly's not coming back, she's gone!" he shouted.

Michael had reached his limits and before he could stop himself from saying what he knew he shouldn't, he let it out. When the words left his mouth, he immediately felt guilt overtake him. The look of shock that washed over his wife's face just made it ten times worse.

"Stop pretending it's any different," he lowered his voice to just above a whisper.

Marie's eyes watered and without saying a word, she brushed past him, and retreated down the small, narrow hallway that led to their bedroom. At the same time, Michael began calling out after her.

"Wait!" he shouted. "Marie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it like that!"

He followed behind her at a rapid pace only to have the bedroom door slammed in his face when he reached it. He sighed and then smirked in frustration as he heard the lock click into place. He proceeded to bang on the door.

"Marie. Open the door. Please?"

_Maybe I shouldn't have pushed the issue, _he contemplated with regret.

Although she refused to answer him, he could make out sobbing sounds coming from behind the door. But, knowing how stubborn his wife could be, he instantly gave up.

"Okay, Marie. I need to head out to the office. But, I'll call you around lunch. Please pick up the phone?" he attempted one last time before moving to leave. "I love you."

He lingered at the door for one last second and then made his way back down the hallway to grab his jacket.

**ooooo**

Darryl made his way up inside the elevator and back onto the seventh floor.

He was nervous about what he was about to do but he felt the confrontation was necessary and he wanted to catch Michael before he made it into work. After his dinner with Shelia last night, the background check had revealed some disturbing information. He had spent most of the night searching and discovered that histories for both Michael and Marie Holloway went back no further than five years. It was like both of them had just appeared out of nowhere with no past childhood, no family, or friends to show for. Then he connected that with the known fact that, as of this year, Prue Halliwell would have been dead five years. Andy was now past the seven year mark. Or so he thought but that was before last night.

The second piece of disturbing information he turned up was the disappearance of the Holloway's three-year old daughter, Molly Holloway, last year on Halloween. The little girl had vanished without a trace and the authorities were unable to turn up any suspects or evidence of foul play. But then the focus of the investigation had shifted onto the Holloways themselves.

_No wonder they had moved, _thought Darryl.

Darryl knew that to the rest of the world, the Holloways were perfectly reasonable suspects in the absence of any evidence leading to an intruder. But the rest of the world had not experienced the previous seven years knowing about powerful witches who dealt with demons and various _otherworldly folk_. And if he was able to piece together Michael and Marie's identity within a few short days, what of the demons? Were they somehow led straight to Michael, Marie, and little Molly?

All of this led Darryl to his final concern. The man that walked by them in the corridor last night. At first, he had appeared normal as he passed them. However, when he and Shelia were leaving the building, the man's suspicious nature alerted Darryl that something wasn't right. He had been loitering inside the building and had been asked to leave on several occasions. But all the man would say was that he was waiting for someone without giving a name or an apartment number. Finally, he had just left. Darryl was almost positive he was a demon. All those years helping to cover for the sisters wasn't wasted on nothing. It was a certain look the man held in the eyes. He needed to admit to them what he knew. Because it was very possible that they were in danger but didn't even realize it. Also, it might be the only hope they had in finding out what really happened to their daughter.

As Darryl approached the door and prepared to knock, he heard a loud crashing sound from the other side. Darryl immediately grabbed for his gun and prepared to kick the door in.

**ooooo**

Marie lied on her bed until the brief sobbing episode subsided. She had contemplated opening the door for Michael when she heard his pleas but she hated to let him see her cry.

_Maybe I just overreacted. __But how can he just give up so easily?_

She didn't want to give up and she really resented him trying to make her forget like he was so obviously trying to do. Molly was alive and she wasn't going to let anybody tell her differently. Not until she saw proof. However, she was brought out of her mental debate, when she heard the sound of a loud crash.

_Michael! _

That had been her instinctive reaction as she flung herself off the bed and threw open the bedroom door. She couldn't explain how she sensed he was in trouble but she just knew. As she ran down the small hallway, she turned just in time to see Michael crouching on the floor in pain on top of a pile of boxes. The man standing before him was dressed in black and his hand held a flaming fireball. Marie's eyes bulged at the sight.

_What the hell is that? _she thought.

"HEY!" she shouted out to the strange man with the fiery thing in his hand. She admonished herself silently for being so stupid.

_What the hell am I doing? _

Michael looked over when he heard the sound of her voice. He was still on the floor, holding onto his side, and was in alot of pain but he managed to mumble a warning.

"Marie! No! Get out of here, now!"

At the sound of her voice, the man dressed in black turned in her direction and an evil smirk crossed his face.

"Well, well, Witch!" he mocked. "Looks like your time has finally come. First you. Then, your sisters. And say hi to those brain-dead Elders when you get there! Boy did they screw up really bad!" Dannon laughed.

_What? Witch? Elders? Sisters? What the hell is all that suppose to mean, _Marie thought to herself as the man advanced on her with the fireball in hand.

She was in a state of shock and didn't know what to do. A man, if that's what he was, was coming towards her with fire in his hand. And it didn't appear to be burning him. How was that possible? Slowly, she was backing up looking around for some type of rescue or intervention but found none.

Helplessly, Michael watched as the man advanced on his wife and he attempted to get up. But he couldn't. He groaned in pain and fell back to the floor as he could feel the full impact of what it felt like to have broken ribs.

"Marie?" he helplessly cried out.

At the sight of the mighty Prue Halliwell cowering away from him in fear, the demon roared with more evil laughter.

"Well, if only your sisters could see you now?" he mocked. "And you were suppose to be the strongest one, huh? The protector. The one willing to sacrifice her own life if it meant saving one of them," he continued on. "You're nothing but a coward now!"

Marie began to shake. When she didn't respond, the demon continued to mock her.

"What's the matter? Tongue-tied?"

Marie's mind raced and she tried to sort out the confusion she felt.

_Think, Marie. Think, _she admonished herself. _There has to be something you can do! _

The man was within inches of her. He appeared to be enjoying the fact that he was taking his time to undermine her in some way. The only problem was, she had no memory of what the hell he was talking about. But the demon's next choice of words proved to be a big mistake. Because, suddenly, it ignited an energy from within her that she never even realized she possessed. An energy begging to be released.

"Though, it's too bad you won't be around to save your daughter, Prue," he cracked. He brought his hand up to release the fire from his hand.

Something inside of Marie burst. As her anger overwhelmed her, she brought up her arm. She didn't know how she did it but in one wave of her arm she sent the man and his fireball catapulting backwards smashing into a pile of boxes. The man got up and she stepped forward moving her arm for the second time sending the man flying into the air as a wall broke his fall. At the very same instant, a man kicked in the door, and in stepped Captain Morris with a gun in hand. He witnessed the demon flying through the air before hitting the wall. Then, the demon looked between both of them before shimmering out.

Darryl watched in amazement as he slowly brought the gun down. He looked over to the woman who called herself Marie.

"Okay," he drew out. "Now I definitely know you're Prue!"

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Well, I hope that you liked it. I'm slowly moving forward to reuniting the 4 sisters but I think that's going to come after Billie and the sisters find out her origins. Not sure yet, but it's coming soon.


	7. Divine Intervention

Thanks to my reviewers from the last chapter, **Charmed225**, **Jedi Alanna**, and **Queen of Gabb 488**. I'm happy that you are all enjoying how the plot is unfolding. All of your reviews encourage me to keep going, so thanks for taking the time to read and review.

**Jedi, **I hope I was able to help clarify the meaning of the letter for you? I wrote you a longer reply so I could explain in more detail. **;o)**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Divine Intervention **

Dannon shimmered back into the Underworld lair feeling all his rage directed at Gideon.

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath.

Gideon had sent him straight into a trap. A witch's trap. He never told him that the witch still had access to her powers. Dannon made his way into the hidden cavern. It was shielded by magic and only demons with permission to enter were able to use their powers to find it.

"Gideon?!" the demon screeched.

"Ah, there you are," replied the man hidden within the dark shadows. "I was beginning to think you had failed!"

"I did fail!" shouted Dannon. "No thanks to you! Why didn't you tell me the witch still had her powers? I wasn't prepared for that!

Gideon slowly turned around and emerged from the darkness. As he came into full view, the demon took note that he had an eerie calmness about him. Especially, seeing that he just finished reporting back to him that he had been unsuccessful.

"She doesn't have her powers. At least not completely," he answered.

"What?" Dannon demanded. "What does that mean? I'm a demonic assassin which means I can't do my job if you don't give me all the information that I need!"

Gideon started to pace around the cavern slowly as he spoke. "It was one of the conditions placed on the ..." Gideon's voice drifted off as he searched for the right word to use. "Arrangement," he concluded when he thought of it.

"What arrangement?" Dannon continued to argue. "You didn't say anything about any arrangement. You said the Elders took away her powers and made her a mortal!"

"Well, yes, technically we did ... they did," corrected Gideon. "But I couldn't get the other Elders to a full consensus. We were split at the time. Some of us wanted her powers completely stripped while others didn't. They were weary of taking away all her magical protection. Especially, since she finally agreed to the arrangement."

"I don't care what she agreed to. What does all of this mean for us now?" the demon demanded for the second time. His patience was wearing thin.

"It means the best solution we were able to come up with was a partial-binding. Which means she may have limited access to her powers during a life-threatening situation," snapped Gideon in response. "The demonic attack must have triggered them somehow."

Gideon stopped his pacing as he turned to face Dannon head on. "The Elders worried about whether or not the Underworld would ever discover she was still alive, especially because the Source was still in power. But all that shouldn't matter now. She should still be the most vulnerable sister to get at so we have to try again."

"So, how do we stop her then?" asked Dannon.

"You don't!" replied Gideon. Instantly, he produced a giant-sized energy ball and released it at the demon who stood before him. The demon didn't have time to react as he screamed and exploded into a pile of dusty air.

"I do!"

After Dannon's demise, Gideon merely smirked and walked away.

**ooooo**

Paige looked down at her watch for the third time in ten minutes.

_Phoebe, where are you, _she silently pleaded.

Phoebe had agreed to meet Paige for lunch on their respective lunch hours but she was already fifteen minutes late. She was about to pull out her cell phone to find out what was taking her so long when she saw Phoebe getting out of a car and waving to the driver before the person drove away.

_Finally, _thought Paige.

Phoebe opened the door to the small cafe, a latte in hand, and rushed inside. She spotted Paige sitting over at a round table, for two, and made her way over.

"Ooh, I am so sorry!" she apologized, hanging her purse over the side of her chair.

She sat down.

"Piper called to tell me that Billie finally woke up and then Elise grabbed me on the way out. So one of the guys from the office offered to drop me off here. Oh, but I've been doing alot of thinking and I think I have a solution for one of our problems so," Phoebe rambled on until she caught the expression on her sister's face and stopped.

"Hey, sweetie, is something the matter?" she asked Paige. "You look kind of ... pissed?"

Phoebe let out a small laugh.

Paige waved her hand in the air. "Nah, forget about it. That's not why I asked you to lunch."

"Paige, lay it on me. They don't call my column _Ask Phoebe _for nothing," her sister joked, while still trying to remain serious. Paige cracked a smile. "There. That's better," Phoebe exclaimed with a wide smile.

"Good, now remind me again why I thought it was a good idea to get married?" Paige remarked sarcastically.

"Uh-oh. Trouble on the Henry front?" questioned Phoebe, as she listened.

"You know. Why does he have to be so stubborn? No, worse than that! Why does he always have to think he's right?" she argued in Paige fashion.

Phoebe laughed. "Do you just mean Henry or do you mean ALL men?" she joked.

Paige continued on with her one-way venting session at Phoebe's expense.

"I mean, take Coop for example. I don't see him forcing you to pick out baby names so you can be ready six months from now!"

Phoebe went to sip on her latte but stopped. "Wait, what?"

"Yup, that's right. You heard me. Henry wants to turn me into a baby machine and I'm not ready to push the button yet, thank you very much," Paige finished all in one sentence.

Phoebe laughed again.

"Is that the big problem? Oh, Paige, I think it's sweet that Henry wants to start a family with you."

"A-ha! Says the woman who went looking for her future daughter's father at a sperm bank," Paige half-joked. "No Pheebs, you see, sweet is for candy. Babies are for people who will actually be around to take care of them," concluded Paige.

And there it was. While in good-humored fashion, Paige had let it slip and Phoebe picked up on it right away. Phoebe turned serious as she reached out for her sister's hands. She tried to offer sound, helpful advice.

"Paige, it's okay to be scared, ya know? Piper was when she got pregnant with Wyatt. It's a risk we're all taking but I think in the end it'll all be worth it!"

"Yeah, but I still don't think I'm ready. Especially not now with this whole Triad and Ultimate Power problem hanging over our heads. And with Piper's news about the baby, and we'll have to be looking out for her again, this is all just hitting a little too close to home right now," Paige argued.

Phoebe listened and then offered the best piece of advice she could muster for her sister.

"Paige, it's okay if you're not ready. But, I would just talk to Henry about it. I really would. Tell him what's on your mind. I mean, if he knew how you were feeling maybe you two could reach some sort of compromise instead of butting heads about it all the time, right?"

Paige smiled at her sister and nodded. She would take what she said into consideration.

"Good!" replied Phoebe in a good-natured way. "Now, where's a menu, because I'm starving!" she exclaimed, while looking around the cafe trying to locate one.

**ooooo**

Molly had just placed her small head down on the pillow for an afternoon nap when he shimmered into the room. She was alone and the bedroom door was locked from the outside so the young children on the floor couldn't wander around during nap time.

The demon smirked as he took in the small child before him. It had taken some time but he had found her by tracing the use of her magic to this very room. He slowly approached the small bed hoping he wouldn't disturb the child from her slumber. All he had to do was get close enough and in one shimmer they would be gone, back to the Underworld.

Molly felt the dark presence the moment it had entered the room. It was a feeling she had become accustomed to during her time spent in the Underworld. Her small eyes bolted open at the sight of the bad man inches away from her. She held tightly to her teddy bear and sat up in bed.

_Damn_, the demon thought. _Time to try another tactic. _

He held his hands up to her. "Don't be scared. I'm not going to hurt you! I've come to take you back to your mommy and daddy," he tried lying, hoping to gain her trust. He needed to bring her back unharmed. But the little girl's response was to back up against the wall that her bed was supported against.

"Go away!" her little voice demanded as her small lips began to quiver.

"No, it's okay," the demon tried to soothe.

He kept advancing towards her.

_This is so working, _he thought. If he could just keep her from reacting and using her powers this would all be over in seconds. Then, just as he reached out to grab her and shimmer out, she faded into nothing.

_What the hell, _the demon thought.

Molly, making herself invisible, slid herself off of the bed and proceeded to hide underneath it. She felt like she wanted to cry but she didn't want the bad man to know where she was hiding so she stayed quiet. As she laid flat on her stomach under the bed, she covered her ears with her small hands and looked out realizing there was nobody to help her. She couldn't scream or the mean man would catch her. Where was the nice lady that said she would make the bad man go away? Small, silent tears fell down her cheeks as she mentally called out for the nice lady who was special like her.

_"The bad man here for me, Paige. Help!"_

**ooooo**

Phoebe and Paige sat at the table eating their food. Paige decided to go light with a Caesar salad while Phoebe ordered the biggest deli-style sandwich listed on the menu.

"So, what were you saying earlier about a solution?" Paige asked her sister, while she used her fork to play around with her salad. She had alot on her mind and she wasn't really that hungry.

"Hm," Phoebe mumbled, as she put her index finger up in the air to signal she needed a second to swallow her food. After she did, she proceeded to explain what she had decided to do. "I was thinking about the best way to balance the Christy dilemma with watching out for the little girl?"

"And?" Paige inquired with interest.

"Well, so we don't have to worry about demons attacking foster parents, I figured I could apply to become Molly's foster parent," declared Phoebe.

"What?!" exclaimed Paige in shock. "Are you crazy? I could lose my job!"

"No you wouldn't! Nobody at your office even knows who I am. Besides, it's the best I could come up with to keep the little girl safe while we track down Christy and the demon that took her. This way, we can offer her the magical protection she needs that other foster parents wouldn't be able to give to her."

"Pheebs, first off, it's called a conflict of interest! You're my sister," instructed Paige.

"Well, who's going to know?" argued Phoebe. "You'll be handling the case. And it's not like we live at the same address anymore. And, hey, we don't even carry the same last name," she pointed out.

"Hello!" Paige interjected. "You didn't let me finish. Secondly, you need a license to become a foster parent," she stressed.

Phoebe smiled with self-assured confidence.

"Already taken care of. I went down to the state agency and applied this morning. Now, once I'm approved, all you'll have to do is place her with me."

Paige just shook her head.

"I don't know, Pheebs, I think it's a bit risky. Maybe we should ... " but she was cut off by the ringing of her cell phone. She reached for it and answered. "Hello, Paige here?"

Phoebe watched as Paige conversed with the person on the other end of the line.

"Piper. Hey, what's up? Yeah, I heard about Billie from Pheebs, thank god she's alright. Uh-huh. Yeah, okay, we'll be there," she replied, as she ended the conversation and shut the phone. "That was Piper and she'd like us to meet her at the manor whenever we can get there," Paige informed her other sister.

"Is everything okay?" inquired Phoebe.

"Um, she really didn't say," answered Paige matter-of-factly. "But my hunch is that it has something to do with ..."

Paige felt cut off by a loud cry for help that penetrated her brain. She brought her hand up against the side of her temple, feeling as if she were in the beginning stages of an oncoming migraine. That cry, it was the voice of a small child. But who? Then, she realized who it had to be.

_Oh my god. Molly, _she thought.

"What's wrong?" Phoebe asked, noticing the grimace on her sister's face.

Paige stood up quickly. "We got to go!" she declared in a panic. She reached for her purse and threw a twenty-dollar bill on the table to cover the cost of their lunch.

Phoebe, picking up on her sister's panic, reacted instantly as she stood up to follow her out of the cafe. "Why? What's going on?" she demanded to know.

"Just follow me. We have to get out of here and get to the Children's Center now. I think Molly's in trouble," explained Paige in a hurry.

As they hustled their way to a secluded area outside of the cafe, Paige reached for Phoebe and together they orbed out of sight.

**ooooo**

Little Molly shut her eyes real tight as the bad man reached under the bed looking for her.

She was still crying. She didn't want to go back to the dark, scary place with the mean men in dark robes. And she didn't like the mean girl who helped the man with the fake smile. They had only pretended to be nice to her so they could keep what she knew how to do. And she didn't like Gideon. He had been the one to bring her to the girl, the man with the fake smile, and the mean men in robes. But the good thing about being invisible was that Molly knew nobody could see her and that they also wouldn't be able to touch her. It was how she had survived as long as she had in the Underworld without being caught. Before she figured out how to orb away and escape. However, she didn't know how long she could make it last because sometimes it made her too tired and she would just reappear again. Suddenly, she started to feel herself reform back into her visible state but she felt too weak to stop it. This time when the demon reached, he felt her.

"Ah-ha!" the demon hollered. "I got you, now, you no good little brat!" He grabbed her leg and was pulling her from under the bed.

Molly let out a scream as the man was dragging her out from underneath the bed.

"No! Leaves me alone!" she wailed, pounding her tiny fists against the arm that now had a hold of her.

Just as the demon almost had her out from underneath the bed, blue and white lights appeared in the center of the bedroom distracting him. There, standing before him, appeared two witches he hadn't expected to see.

"Hey! I don't think so!" Phoebe hollered, as she kicked the demon in the face, causing him to fall over and release his grip on the little girl.

Paige watched as Molly slid herself back under the bed. Then, looking around the room she called for the table.

"Table!" she shouted as it orbed out and back in, impacting the demon, who fell back to the floor with the table on top of him.

"Quick, quick. What do we do?" asked Phoebe.

"Um, a spell," reasoned Paige. "He's another Nauscas, a low-level demon. We should be able to do it with just the two of us."

The two sisters fumbled, looking for the right words, as both of them tried to think up a vanquishing spell on the spot.

"Okay, okay," Phoebe started. _"Uh, in this moment and in this time, Do away with this evils crime ..."_

_"We call to thee to end this fight," _Paige added shrugging her shoulders.

_"And to banish this demon from our sight," _finished Phoebe.

The sisters watched as the demon yelled before exploding and disappearing. They both released a heavy sigh, looked at where the demon used to be, and then looked back to each other. Then, Paige slowly made her way over to the bed and knelt down to the floor as she tried to offer words of comfort to the small child. Phoebe, waiting patiently, stood behind her.

"Molly, honey, it's okay now. You can come out. The bad man is gone and he's never coming back!"

But as she looked under the bed, she saw nobody under there.

"Molly?" she questioned, as she reached under the bed to feel for something. But, she felt nothing. She wasn't going crazy because she knew that she saw Molly crawling back under the bed.

"What the ..." she exclaimed, as Phoebe came to her aid.

She knelt down beside Paige. "She can fade and become invisible, remember?" she whispered to her sister. "And she doesn't know who I am so she's probably scared of me."

Paige shook her head in acknowledgement.

"Molly?" Phoebe called out gently. "You don't have to be scared of me, okay, sweetie? I'm a very good friend of Paige's and I didn't like that bad man either. But we made him go away so you're safe now. Do you think you could come out so Paige can make sure you're not hurt? She cares about you very much."

They waited a few moments in silence before they heard a shuffling sound and then watched as the little girl emerged from underneath the bed. In her arms, she held a teddy bear and she rushed straight into Paige's arms as she sobbed. Soft wails could be heard as Paige held onto her.

"It's okay, baby, you're safe now."

Phoebe reached out her hand and gently rubbed the little girl's back. "So?" she asked her sister. "Still think my idea is a bad one?"

Paige just looked back at her and gave a sigh as she finally decided to relent. This was going to be another long day. She could just feel it.

**ooooo**

Phoebe and Paige walked through the front door of the manor. After spending some time to settle down Molly and assuring her that it was safe, they had left the Children's Center.

"Piper! We're here!" shouted Phoebe.

Piper walked down the stairs waving her hands. "Ssh!" she emphasized. "The boys are here and I just got them to settle down for a nap!" She headed over to her sisters.

Phoebe brought one hand to her mouth. "Ooops! Sorry," she whispered.

All three sisters made their way into the sitting area of the conservatory and sat down.

"So, how's Billie doing?" inquired Paige.

"Um, better," replied Piper. "I convinced her to take the day off from classes and to just rest before we dig into finding Christy again. Which she's been doing most of the day but not before she shared something with us that brings up a few more questions."

"Us?" reiterated Phoebe.

"Yeah. Leo and I were with her this morning after Leo brought the boys home from Dad's," explained Piper. "Apparently, she's had more on her mind lately then we realized. Somehow, Billie's come to the understanding that she was adopted by the Jenkins and that Christy isn't a witch at all. So, now she's blaming herself for everything that happened to them," she concluded, with a touch of sympathy mixed in.

Phoebe and Paige were all ears as Piper updated them on the newest revelation that had come to pass.

"What?" questioned Phoebe. "Well, that's ridiculous. Of course it's not her fault!"

"Hold Up! Back to this adoption bit," interjected Paige. "How, in the world, did she come to that conclusion?"

Both Phoebe and Paige turned back to Piper waiting for her to explain.

"I'm not sure. But I guess while she was packing up her parents things she found some letter that made the implication," Piper shrugged in response. "And I didn't want to push her, she was really emotional over last night and the whole Christy ordeal. I told her we would just be there for her when she was ready."

Suddenly, Paige contemplated the possibility of Billie being adopted and her heart went out to her because she knew she could relate to the circumstances. She could remember when she had first found out that she was adopted. Unfortunately, it had been in the aftermath of her parents deaths as well. Sadly, it would appear as if she and Billie were starting to have alot more in common than she ever could have imagined. The possibility of adoptive parents? Unknown magical origins? And a sister she never got to know. When Billie was ready to explore the possibility in more depth, Paige decided she would be there to offer whatever support that she needed.

_And maybe that's why I was assigned to be her whitelighter. __To help guide her through something I can completely relate to._

"So where's this letter?" asked Phoebe.

Piper just shrugged. "She didn't say."

Phoebe sighed. "Okay, well I guess that we can work with that in time. But this does shine a whole, new light on the Christy situation. If Billie was adopted, what would demons want with some mortal girl? Why bother to kidnap her all those years ago?" She looked to her sisters for an explanation. Any explanation.

"Well, my guess would be to lure Billie," surmised Piper. "Which they eventually did but now I'm wondering why they even bothered to keep Christy alive after that? With no powers to offer, she would have served her purpose."

"Unless, the Dogon just snatched the wrong sister thinking she was Billie?" Paige offered, while shrugging her shoulders. "Or is it possible Christy really is a witch too, even if she's not related to Billie? The Triad might have just thought they could use Christy's witch status to their advantage. To team up with Billie against us?"

"Maybe," Piper relented. "But if the Nauscas was telling the truth about Billie and Christy not being the Ultimate Power, I don't think that would make very much sense. Even if Christy was a witch, how would her powers help them to get rid of us? The Triad was clearly after this Ultimate Power so they could destroy us, whatever or whoever it is!"

Paige thought about the point being made by her sister. However, she still felt confused.

"Okay, but the Jenkins were acting weird when they visited us earlier this year, wouldn't you agree? And what about the spell we used to bring them back from their little assassin adventure as Helen and Carl Roberts? We used the spell to call a lost witch. If Christy and her parents aren't connected to magic, how the heck did that spell even work to begin with?"

Piper sighed. "Looking back, I'm thinking it was probably linked to Billie's magic. It worked because Billie's power transformed them so they were technically operating in a magical state. And since Billie's a witch, the spell could have traced her magic to the parents."

"I guess that sounds right. But even if Christy is just mortal, the Nauscas also said that Billie wasn't the power either," Paige reminded them.

Phoebe shook her head. "Nah, somethings definitely not adding up here. We've got to be missing something. I mean, if Billie and Christy aren't the Ultimate Power like the Nauscas demon revealed, why did the Triad think they could use them to destroy us? I doubt they would have wasted all that time with a plan just so they could throw us off about the power. They went out of their way over thirteen years ago to kidnap Billie's sister so the power could be used to kill us. So they had to know the truth about Billie. Like Piper said, it just doesn't make any sense. The Nauscas had to be lying. Unless ..."

"Unless what?" Piper pushed.

An idea was formulating in Phoebe's head as her mind started to race with a new speculation. She stood up and started to pace and began to explain what her theory was.

"This may be a far-fetched idea, but what if the sister we're looking for isn't Christy. What if the Triad wanted us to think it was Christy."

Paige shrugged. "Okay, I'm lost!" she declared.

Phoebe sat back down and continued to explain.

"Think about it. We know Billie has to be part of the equation. Otherwise, the Triad wouldn't have gone through all that trouble just to lure her to them. Plus, we know she vanquished the Noxen demon who was suppose to be unvanquishable."

"Right," Piper affirmed, nodding her head.

"And isn't it a bit too much of a coincidence that we find out that there's still an unknown Triad member out there that hunted down a little girl in order to steal her powers? I mean, why? I asked the same question before. What's so special about this particular little girl and her powers? And who knows how long this little girl has been missing for." Phoebe paused.

A light bulb went on for Paige. She started to comprehend just exactly where Phoebe was going with this.

"Right. Just like it's too much of a coincidence that Christy reappears when she is suppose to be dead around the same time Molly suddenly appears out of nowhere. Then, Christy is conveniently snatched away again from our attic last night while another Nauscas goes after the little girl?" she added.

Phoebe shook her head. "Exactly. It's all got to be connected."

"Wait. When did another demon go after the little girl?" inquired Piper.

"Today," Paige answered. "Phoebe and I orbed over to the Center just in time. He was about to take her."

"Yeah, it was a pretty close call," added Phoebe. "But the good news is we were able to vanquish him. Thank god!"

"Well, is she okay?" Piper asked with concern. "How did you guys know she was in trouble in the first place?"

Phoebe looked to Paige so she could do the explaining.

"Well, that's the weird part," Paige began. "I heard her cry out to me for help."

"You heard it?" asked Piper. "As in a telepathic connection sort of way?"

Paige shook her head to confirm that's what she meant.

Piper thought about it. "Okay, that is kind of eerie," she admitted. "Especially, since we know that Christy appeared to possess that same ability earlier this year."

"So, then, you think this little girl is part of the Ultimate Power?" speculated Paige.

Phoebe sighed. "Well, yeah, I think it makes the most sense. If the Triad was looking for this Ultimate Power thingy so it could destroy us," she offered up. "I mean, they would have needed her powers so they could combine them with Billie's. So the battle would be possible."

After a long pause, which allowed all the sisters to think about what all this information could mean, Piper continued on.

"So, Phoebe, what are you trying to get at? You think that Billie and Molly might be related somehow and that the demons knew it?"

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, it would explain why the Triad thought they could use Billie and Christy to destroy us. And why it wouldn't matter whether or not Christy had powers at all."

"So that would mean that Christy was only kidnapped to lure Billie. Like Piper said. Then, the Triad found Molly, stripped her powers, and then gave them to a demon posing as Christy?" asked Paige, to get a clear understanding of what Phoebe was piecing together.

"I think so," answered Phoebe.

Piper sighed. "Okay, but if any of this is true, then that would mean the Triad probably knows where Billie really comes from. And they've known it all along. Especially since they sent a Dogon out to deliberately kidnap Christy all those years ago. Not Billie. But I'm curious to know how they found out about the power? How did they find out about Billie to begin with? Or Molly?"

"Good question," acknowledged Paige. "What about that demon that was working with them, Dumain? Maybe he ties into all of this somehow?"

"Maybe." Then Piper thought of something else that made her cringe. She visibly tensed.

"Piper, what is it?" asked Phoebe.

"Well, it's just that if your theory is right Pheebs, I think we have to consider the very real possibility that the real Christy is dead. And that she has been for a long time," concluded Piper. "I just don't know how well that's going to go over with Billie."

The three sisters shared a moment of silence.

"Yeah, " Paige sadly agreed. "If kidnapping the real Christy all those years back was just to lure Billie after she came into her powers, they wouldn't need her anymore. Not when they planned on using another demon as a decoy to take her mortal sister's place. But, is it possible that they just gave the powers to the real Christy after brainwashing her all those years?"

Phoebe released a small laugh. "But will the real Christy please stand up?" she joked. "Seriously, I mean, which one is the real Christy? The one Billie killed or one of the two Christys in our attic last night?"

Piper shook her head.

"None of them. A mortal wouldn't be able to handle the powers. Which means, the two Christys in our attic last night, were probably both demons springing a trap!" added Piper. "Which also means, we're definitely going to take our time before we go running off into the Underworld looking for someone who probably doesn't even exist anymore."

"Wow," sighed Paige. "And to think we may have never pieced this possibility together if it hadn't been for that small revelation of Billie's. I mean, the Triad wanting this little girl obviously wasn't a good thing. But I never even once considered that Molly was a part of this whole, Ultimate Power, Billie/Christy drama."

"I think the Nauscas we caught hinted at some of it. We just didn't put all the pieces together," admitted Piper.

"Yeah, well, I still think my idea is the best," interjected Phoebe. "I'll take in Molly while we try and solve this whole mystery."

"What?" asked Piper. "How are you going to do that?"

"Phoebe applied for a state license today, to become a foster parent," supplied Paige. "But I still think it's risky and puts my job on the line if anybody finds out."

Piper thought about it. "Well, it's not the worst idea, Paige. Especially if she's in the danger we think she is. The three of us will be close by. Besides, you'll continue on as the social worker, right? So, what are the chances that anyone will find out?"

Paige let out a frustrated moan. "That wasn't the point. The point was that somebody could find out and then I'd be screwed. But, after the attack on Molly today, I'd be inclined to agree that it's the best option we have for now. At least until we find the real parents, if there are any still out there."

"And maybe in the process of doing that, we'll find out who Billie really is too," added Piper. Piper got up from her seated position. "Okay, girlie's, looks like we've got alot of work ahead of us."

Both Phoebe and Paige got up as well.

"Attic?" Paige inquired, as she and Phoebe followed behind their older sister.

"Attic," Piper confirmed. "And let's get a start on it while the boys are still sleeping," she finished.

The three sisters headed up to the attic hoping to find some answers to the ever-growing mysteries that continued to surround them.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Okay, another chapter done. Hope you liked it. As you can see, the sisters are on their way to figuring out some of it. Not all of it; yet, so there are still some surprises in store for them, lol!

**Coming up ... **Leo shares his plans with Piper regarding Magic school, Molly comes to live with Phoebe, Paige and Henry make up, and Marie (Prue) and Michael (Andy) are on their way to finding out who they really are with a little help from Darryl.

So **Stay Tuned **and I'll be back.


	8. Foster Witch

**Author's Note: **I just wanted to quickly point out for all my readers that, in this chapter and beyond, Michael and Marie will now be referenced by their real identities. At this point in the story, we all know who they really are. However, there will still be some minor references to Michael/Marie because some characters in the story don't know who they really are yet. Also, Prue/Andy won't recover their memories right away so they'll be addressing each other as Michael/Marie for a bit. I didn't want anyone to get confused when they read, Prue/Andy, and think that meant they remembered everything.

Thanks to my reviewers from the last chapter: **-0-charmed-freak-0-**, **Jedi Alanna**, and my new reviewer **PH2W**. It's good to have you and I hope you all continue to enjoy the story.

**Jedi: **I'm not sure about the letter yet. I don't know if I'm going to make it that easy. I know that sounds evil of me, lol, but rest-assured they WILL find out one way or another. That I can promise you.

Story time **... lol**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Foster Witch**

Darryl nervously paced the long corridor of the hospital.

After Andy was admitted three days ago, he made sure that hospital security was alerted to the seriousness of the situation and had someone placed on guard in front of his room. However, Darryl wasn't sure how long those measures would be effective. That was why he desperately needed to get into contact with one of the sisters.

"Come on, come on. Pick up the phone!" came his eager reply.

Darryl had been trying for three days straight, unsuccessfully, to get in contact with the sisters. He had left several voice-mails requesting how urgent it was for one of them to call him back. However, he had heard nothing from them. Suddenly, Darryl's hopes were raised when he heard the sound of a familiar voice penetrating his hearing senses.

"Thank god, Phoebe, it's Darryl," but his excited state was short-lived when he realized all he had reached was another voice message.

_"Hi. You've reached Phoebe Halliwell. Sorry I can't pick up right now but leave your name and number and I promise to get back to you. Thanks," _came Phoebe's recorded message. After the beep, Darryl left another message.

"Phoebe. This is Darryl. You remember, me? Darryl Morris, the cop that had your back for, what is it, seven years? Look, it's urgent that you get back to me! I've left messages for you and your sisters and nobody has returned any of my calls. What I have to say isn't something I want to leave over a voice-mail. Please call back as soon as you get this. I mean it!" Then Darryl shut his cell phone, feeling agitated and impatient.

He decided to grab some coffee and a snack from one of the hospital vending machines. The caffeine was needed to calm his nerves. As he made his way there, he thought about the entire situation and what he was going to do. Darryl hadn't seen nor spoken to any of the sisters in over a year. But he had a feeling that was all about to change. It was beginning to look more and more likely that he was going to be taking another cross-country trip back to his former home, in good ole' sunny California. There was just one small problem.

_Now, how am I going to convince the Holloways that it's in their best interest to make that trip with me, _wondered Darryl.

Prue and Andy apparently had no recollection of who they had been. In fact, Darryl was still trying to figure out how they were both still alive when they were suppose to be dead. Which brought him to his second problem. How was he suppose to break the news to the Halliwells that their dead sister and former beau were not so dead after all? They were about to encounter a bombshell that would be the shock of their lives.

**ooooo**

_"Doctor Gordon. You are needed, stat!" _came the loud female voice over the hospital intercom system.

Curled up in a chair, Prue sat beside her husband while he slept. She felt exhausted. She had remained by his side for the past three days, partly, because she was concerned but also because she was afraid that it wasn't safe to go back to the apartment. Her husband was admitted here three days ago with a set of broken ribs and a concussion to the head. The entire time he had been drifting in and out of consciousness. Which made it difficult for the police to retrieve an incident report and an accurate account from him.

As eye-witnesses and participants to the crime, both Prue and Darryl had done their best to concoct what sounded like an accurate account of an attempted burglary gone wrong. It was a lie, of course, but what else were they suppose to say? That a man dressed in black had sent her husband flying across the floor, proceeded to create fire from the palm of his hand, aimed it at both of them, and then made himself disappear like Houdini? Sure, that would go over really well. They probably would have had her locked up in the psych ward of this hospital. Not to mention, there was that small part to the story where she had been able to make herself do something that she couldn't explain either. So what did that make her, a freak like him?

While yawning, Prue got up from the chair and stretched. She made her way over to the small table that held her empty, coffee cup from the night before. Cautiously, she looked around before attempting to try what she had done just a few short days ago. In front of the cup, she waved her hand across the air. Nothing happened. She tried a second time but yielded the same results. It wouldn't move. She furrowed her brows in confusion. How had she done it before? She didn't have time to reflect on it for long because a sudden sound caught her attention. It was coming from her husband. He was grumbling in his sleep.

Prue turned around and made her way back to his side. As she approached, she looked down at her husband's sleeping form. He looked so peaceful. She gently slid her fingers through his soft hair. A part of her felt this immense guilt that kept eating away at her. It was like she felt responsible for what had happened to him, that it was somehow her fault. The feeling was overwhelming and her eyes watered over. She bent down and kissed him on the lips before using her hand to wipe underneath her eyes, preventing any tears from falling. She choked back the sob that was beginning to form in her throat.

_I came really close to losing him, _she acknowledged.

Andy began to stir and Prue took notice. She pulled her chair closer to his bed and sat down. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open as he took in the sight of his wife next to him gladly taking note, for the first time, that she appeared to be alright. That had been the last thing on his mind before he had felt his consciousness slip away in their apartment.

"Hey. You're alright?" he mumbled while trying to smile.

Prue smiled back at him. "I'm fine," she assured him. Prue reached out and took his hand into hers while continuing to hold her smile in place.

Andy turned his head from side-to-side trying to figure out where he was. "What happened?" he asked. "Where am I?" Then he tried to raise himself up from the bed but was rewarded with an excruciating jolt through the back of his head. He flinched, bringing his head back down to the pillow.

"Hey, take it easy!" Prue ordered. "You hit your head and the doctors said you have a slight concussion."

"You think?" Andy tried to joke.

"We're in the hospital," she told him. "You also have some broken ribs and they're treating you for some minor burns."

He flinched again, feeling the after effects of trying to get up too quickly ripple through his sides. "Well, they're doing a bang up job," he gritted through clenched teeth as he held onto his side.

"What exactly do you remember?" she asked him nervously. Had he seen what she did? If he had, she had no idea how she was going to explain it to him. She couldn't even explain it to herself.

"Well, I remember leaving for work. And then, this guy. He just appeared out of nowhere. I must not have been paying attention because I don't even remember hearing the front door open and anyone stepping in," he tried to explain.

_Yeah, well, that's because I don't think he used the door. __Hm, maybe he didn't see me after all?_

Prue thought this to herself as she listened to her husband's explanation. But she knew for a fact that her husband's boss had seen her. He had seen it all. He saw her send the man flying through the air and he saw the man vanish, his fire still in hand.

_So, then, why did he cover up and not turn me in? _

"Is that all?" she pressed.

A part of her was hoping that he did see it that way she wouldn't have to hide it. Then he could help her figure out what was wrong with her. But there was the part that was relieved he didn't know because what if he viewed her as some type of freak? What if he left her because of it? She didn't think she could survive that, not after Molly. It was that deep-rooted fear that allowed her mind to settle on keeping it a secret.

Andy looked at his wife, carefully, before answering her next question and contemplated whether or not something was wrong. Perhaps it was just his instincts as a cop, but something sounded off. It wasn't just the question itself but rather the tone in which she presented it.

_Does she know something she's not saying?_

"Uh, I saw him walking towards you but I blacked out shortly after," he answered. "Why? He didn't hurt you did he?" he asked with concern. He watched her closely to gauge her reaction.

"Oh, no! No," she denied, shaking her head. She released a nervous smile. "Darryl showed up before anything else happened." Then she paused. He was watching her intently as she proceeded to share the other revelation that was bothering her. "But, uh, before he got away; he brought up Molly." Her eyes darted away from him and towards the floor to avoid direct eye contact.

Andy stared at his wife. "What?" he exclaimed in a low voice. "What do you mean _he_ brought up Molly? Are you talking about the guy that attacked me?" He waited for an answer.

Prue simply nodded her head in response.

Andy turned his gaze away from his wife, thinking about it. His brow furrowed. "How is that even possible?" the question finally popped out.

Prue bolted up from the chair, feeling anxious. "I don't know. I mean, he brought her up. He said something about me not being around to find her or something like that," she clarified, crossing her arms and walking over towards the window. Her back was now facing her husband.

Andy just stared not knowing how to respond. When silence ensued for too long, Prue turned back around to face him, catching her husband's facial reaction to the news. Suddenly, frustration began to coarse through her because she could clearly see the doubt shining through his eyes looking back at her.

"Don't look at me like that!" she demanded. "I'm not crazy! I know what I heard."

Andy put his hands up in the air, defending himself against her allegation. "Hey, I didn't say you were crazy."

"You didn't have to say it. I saw the look on your face!" she accused.

"Marie, calm down," Andy insisted.

Ignoring his request, she ventured on. "Believe me, I would love to calm down if I knew what the hell was going on right now. You passed out, Michael, I didn't. I know what I heard," she defended herself.

"Hey, if you were in my position, what would you think? Do you know how that sounds?" Andy countered back.

"I would believe you!" Prue asserted strongly, her determined gaze never breaking away from his own.

Andy sighed, giving in for arguments sake.

"Look, if you say you think he brought it up then I believe you." He paused momentarily, sighing before choosing his next words wisely. "But I just don't think you should get your hopes up for nothing. There are other possible explanations like he could have been someone who followed the case and knew who we were. Or he could have overheard us arguing before breaking in."

Prue stared at her husband. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with him, especially after what they had just gone through, and because of the condition he was in. The truth was that what he had just suggested were perfectly logical conclusions. However, the difference was she saw something happen that, for whatever reason, he didn't. She decided to let her defensive feelings slide this time, all the while knowing better.

"Maybe," she relented quietly, not saying anything else.

At that moment, she came to the conclusion that this Darryl guy knew more about her then he was letting on. He was the third person who had addressed her by this other name, Prue. Well, at least, two of them were people because she couldn't be so sure about the third party who had attacked them in their own home. But she vowed to get to the bottom it because whatever it was could help to explain what she saw and what she did. Perhaps it would even help lead her to the truth about Molly. Michael would have no choice but to believe her. But that nagging sensation returned. Would finding out the truth cost her Michael in the end? Would she lose him forever? She hoped not.

**ooooo**

Phoebe seated herself in the first row of the juvenile court. Today was Molly's placement hearing and as her social worker, Paige was due to be in court. However, her sister was nowhere in sight. Everyone else representing the case was already present inside the court room; the judge, the state's attorney, and Molly's court-appointed child advocate. Phoebe looked at her watch again, waiting anxiously.

_Paige, where are you? __Don't screw this up! _

Within the last couple days, Phoebe had undergone an interview, background check, and a home visit from the state agency in order to be approved for a license to foster. Once all that had been approved with a little "magical" assistance from Paige, she was recommended to stand in as a foster parent for Molly. Phoebe was pulled back into the present by the sound of the door opening and closing. It was Paige. _Thank god, _Phoebe praised silently, closing her eyes to express the relief she felt.

Paige raced into the courtroom, file in hand. She avoided making any eye contact with Phoebe so this would appear as formal as possible. "I apologize to the court," she announced out of breath. "Traffic!" She made her way to the front of the room to take her seat beside the other representatives for the state.

"We shall proceed," the judge announced after Paige took her proper seat.

The State's Attorney stood up to address the court.

"Thank you, your Honor. I'm Assistant Attorney General Williams for the state. This is Paige Matthews, case worker, and Rachel Winters, the child's court-appointed advocate. We would like to present this file to the court."

The bailiff transported the file over to the judge. While the judge proceeded to look over the file, the State's Attorney continued her assessment of the case.

"The minor child has been abandoned with no records of origin to show for; therefore, we the state recommend that Molly be placed in a temporary home. Then, later, be considered for a state-sanctioned adoption."

The judge listened. "Yes, please continue," he instructed.

"Therefore your Honor, Paige Matthews, has recommended placement for the child at the residence of a Ms. Phoebe Halliwell. Ms. Halliwell has passed all the requirements pursuant to California statute to obtain a state license for foster care," she finished.

The judge addressed Paige. "Ms. Matthews? Is it your recommendation, before the court, that the minor child's best interest will be met at the following residence of a Ms. Phoebe Halliwell?"

Paige stood up behind the table and straightened out her skirt. She swallowed. "Yes, your Honor," she responded.

Turning to the last representative of the case, the judge addressed the child advocate. "And I take it there are no objections regarding the child's placement from your end, Ms. Winters?"

"No, your Honor," the child advocate replied.

"Very well. So be it. The minor child, Molly Halliwell, shall be given this temporary legal identity under the temporary placement of Ms. Phoebe Halliwell until permanent placement. Social Services will continue to perform its periodic, home visits to evaluate the child's period of adjustment and we will reconvene for another hearing in six months. Of course, this is pending any other new information that may come to the court's attention regarding the minor child's parentage and background," the judge ordered, pounding down his gavel.

Upon hearing the judge's order, Phoebe closed her eyes and let out a huge sigh of relief. She looked over and made quick eye contact with Paige. Paige gave her a subtle, thumbs-up sign to let her know they had done it. Phoebe, smiling, made her exit out of the courtroom.

_Mission one accomplished. Number two to go._

**ooooo**

Piper and Billie sat together in the conservatory section of the manor.

Wyatt sat in the middle of the floor playing with his trucks while little Chris was enjoying his time watching his brother maneuver them across the floor. He reached out for one with a smile. The bright sun was shining through the windows and the two women were intently examining the pages from the Book of Shadows.

"There's got to be something in here to help us!" exclaimed Billie, with an edge of impatience to her voice. Abruptly, she stood up and started pacing the floor in front of Piper.

Piper sighed. "Billie, you need to calm down. We'll find something, the demons will eventually slip up. They always do," she tried to reassure her.

Billie brought her hands up in the air. "How? I mean, you, Phoebe, and Paige have been at it for the past three days and you've come up with nothing!"

It was true. The three sisters had spent the last three days during their free time trying to come up with any way they could to find something. They tried spells and scrying for locations but came up empty-handed. They even tried scanning the book for every possible, upper-level demon that stood a chance at being recruited by the Triad. Anything to figure out who this mysterious member could possibly be but they did this without any luck.

"Billie! The Triad is powerful. It's not going to be that easy to track her down if this unknown member is the one behind taking her back the other night," Piper tried to reason. "The Triad is not your average, come and find me, group of demons."

Billie sighed. "Piper, I know. But they couldn't have just vanished in the Underworld. They have to be somewhere. How hard can it be to find a shape-shifting demon? They're not that high level," she concluded.

"Yes, but maybe they're being protected and in a place that's sealed off by dark magic," Piper suggested. "That's probably why the scrying isn't working," she added. Piper stood up and walked over to Billie. She put her hands on her shoulders to stop her from pacing and then brought them back down when Billie stopped. "Look," she continued. "I really think you should take a break. It's already been thirteen years, a little bit more time isn't going to kill you. Or her. No pun intended," Piper cracked, which in turn made Billie smirk.

"Yeah," Billie muttered in mild agreement.

"Seriously," Piper persisted in good-natured manner. "You want to have a clear head dealing with all this. Phoebe, Paige, and I said we would continue to sort this whole mess out and we meant it. We're not giving up on you or finding your sister."

Billie smiled back at her feeling reassured. "Thanks. And I know you guys are doing your best, especially with all that you're dealing with. It's just that it's all so frustrating. Ugh!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, even more of a reason to take a break," Piper urged. Then she made what she thought was a helpful suggestion. "Why don't you try heading over to Phoebe's. I'm sure she could use some help getting ready for Molly when she comes to stay with her."

"Oh! They're letting Phoebe take her in?" Billie asked. This piece of information had caught her interest.

"Yeah," Piper replied. "Paige and Phoebe were at the hearing earlier this morning. Phoebe called to let me know how it all went."

"Cool," Billie exclaimed. "That will definitely make it easier on you guys to keep a closer watch on her when the demons try to attack."

"Yeah, um, so why don't you head over there?" Piper pushed again. "And then, maybe later on you could show Phoebe that letter and we could help you get started on that search? Of course, only if you think your ready to do that," she added as an afterthought.

Piper didn't want to push Billie but she was all for finding ways to keep her mind distracted when it came to the "Christy" dilemma. She and her sisters opted out of telling Billie their theory that the real Christy had most likely been dead for awhile and that more shape-shifting demons had probably taken Christy's place again in order to get to her a second time. They felt it was safer, at least for Billie's sake, because this way she wouldn't be put in a position to kill someone she thought was her sister. Again. No, Piper figured she and her sisters could handle most of the Christy situation on their own and help push Billie's interest into finding her birth family. If there was in fact one to find. That way maybe she wouldn't feel so alone especially if her origins happened to lead to the same origins as little Molly's. They would be solving two mysteries at the same time.

"Yeah, I guess I can to that," Billie agreed. "But if you find anything, you let me know," she stressed.

"Will do. Now go. Go!" Piper instructed, while playfully pushing Billie in the direction of the front door.

"Okay, I'm going, I'm going!" laughed Billie.

Billie exited the front door as Piper watched. After the front door closed, Piper turned around in time to catch somebody orbing into the foyer. It was Leo accompanied by someone who appeared to be an Elder only she had never met him before. She began walking in their direction.

_Wonder what this is about?_

**ooooo**

Paige exited the front door of the South Bay Social Services Department. She was on her way to the South Side Children's Center to pick up Molly for the transport back to Phoebe's place. As she walked down the steps, her hands frantically searched inside her purse for the keys to her car. However, because she was distracted, she didn't notice the man she had bumped into as she kept walking.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," she exclaimed. When she looked up, she noticed who it was she had collided with. "Henry!"

"Paige, can we talk? Please?" he pleaded. "Look, I'm sick of us arguing and I really just want to talk this all through. You owe us at least that much."

Paige looked at her husband. "Uh, now is not a good time," she replied as she made her way to walk around him.

Gently, he grabbed her arm to stop her and Paige turned around. "Paige, please?" he begged. His eyes were pleading with hers. "How much longer is this going to go on? When you're not at work, you're not at home. And recently all your time seems to be back at the manor. When is there going to be time for us again?"

She sighed and looked at her watch. "Henry, I want to talk, I do. But I'm due to pick up a child from the Center and bring her to her new foster home by five."

Henry placed his hands in his pockets and shook his head. "Okay," he relented. "We'll talk later but will you promise me to come? I just don't want you to be mad at me anymore. The silent treatment gets kind of old, ya know?" He cracked a small smile in her direction.

Paige smiled back as she felt the tension leave her body. She reached up, wrapped her hand behind his head, and brought her lips to his for a light kiss. "I'm not mad," she replied. "But you're right. We do need to talk. And I promise I'll make the time as soon as I get off work."

Henry thought about it for a moment before answering. "Fine. Deal!" he concluded. "But I get first dibs on the remote control tonight."

Paige smiled and rolled her eyes for his benefit. "Oh whatever. Deal," she agreed.

**ooooo**

"Hey, Piper!" exclaimed Leo after he orbed into the manor with the man beside him. "Where are the boys?" he asked.

Piper made it a point to plaster a grin on her face as she walked towards the two men before her. The grin wasn't intended to signal to those around her that she was amused in anyway, no instead, it was meant to mock the recipient.

"Uh, the boys are fine. They're playing near the living room," she replied through some slightly, clenched teeth. "Uh, what's going on?"

She looked to the man standing beside her husband, who was dressed in white robes, signaling to everyone around him that he was an Elder. The man slightly bowed his head, as a greeting gesture, to the woman who stood before him.

"My name is Dimitri. I am a newly appointed Elder. I have been assigned the task of helping Leo reorganize the Magic School. It is a pleasure to meet you and congratulations on the news of your baby."

"Oh. Well, thank you very much," Piper stammered out, not quite sure what to make of the newcomer. "I think. Is that all this visit is for?" she pressed as she looked to her husband for confirmation, looking and feeling unconvinced.

She never knew what to expect with these guys. Was he really being sincere or was he buttering her up for something she wasn't going to like? Lately, they tended to be the bearers of bad news and that knowledge immediately put Piper on guard.

"Well, that's where a talk between you and I comes into play," Leo laughed ever so slightly but just as nervously.

Piper looked to Leo, raising her eyebrows as she addressed him. "Uh-oh! Should I be dreading this or hoping for some good news for a change?"

"Uh, well ..." Leo stuttered but was cut off by Piper.

"Just spit it out!" his wife declared.

"The Elders gave me my powers back so that I could run the Magic School," he announced.

Piper remained silent for a few moments as she digested this new piece of information. Leo waited for her reaction. She felt awe-struck. "Wait a minute," she finally replied. "Did you just say they gave you your powers back? When?"

Leo had a guilty expression plastered across his face and he hesitated on answering her question. "Um ..."

"Leo?!" she pushed.

"They actually gave them back to me a few months ago. It's the only way that I can lead the school or come and go as I please. Remember, mortals aren't allowed to be there?" he stressed to her, hoping it would lessen the blow he was about to receive from not sharing this information sooner.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed. "Three months ago? Why am I just finding out about this now? And what happened to leading a normal life so that we could have a chance at growing older together?"

Up until this point, Dimitri had remained in the background listening to the on-going discussion. He decided to interrupt and defend Leo's position. "Actually, this time around, his magical status will not effect his mortality. Much like you and your sisters, he will remain mortal and continue to age. Which means he will grow old just like you and he is capable of dying just like you. The only difference is he will re-maintain his magical status for the purposes of the Magic School," he explained.

Piper looked to the Elder who had so boldly interrupted her discussion with her husband. "Uh-huh, right. Now would that be Elder status or Whitelighter status? Because if you think your kind is going to be dragging my husband off for a second round, to wherever it is you robe men decide to mingle, you've got another thing coming. Leo has a family and that's where he belongs!" She declared this with solid determination and the woman's fiery spark did not go unnoticed by the Elder. He smiled gently as he replied.

"No, Piper. Leo has been made the exception to that rule. We have no desire to pull your husband away from you again. Leo will possess Elder-like powers; however, he will remain a mortal. His powers will allow him to head and teach at the magic school. That is all."

Piper listened to the words the Elder spoke before replying. "Yeah, well, from personal experience it's never _that's all _with any of you guys. Why do I have a feeling we're going to regret this?" she emphasized, while looking back to address Leo. She turned to leave and check on the boys as she pointed her finger at her husband and added, "And don't think you're off the hook with me, Mister!"

Leo just looked to the Elder standing beside him and flashed him a cheesy smile. A nervous laugh accompanied the smile before Dimitri smiled back and orbed away.

**ooooo**

Billie and Phoebe sat on the floor of the small, spare bedroom in Phoebe's loft trying without much success to assemble a child's bed.

Billie scrunched up her nose. "Are you sure this goes here?" she asked. She was holding a plastic rod in one hand and two different sized screws in the other.

Phoebe looked up at the parts Billie was holding and proceeded to shrug her shoulders.

"You know what?" she answered back. "I'm not sure about any of it. Which is actually kind of embarrassing considering that, in my day, I was pretty good with a wrench." She threw the remaining parts to the bed-set on the ground as she grunted, feeling aggravated. "Ugh!" she groaned in frustration.

Billie flashed her an understanding smile. "Well, all that demon fighting had to replace something, right?" she offered up, trying to lighten the mood.

Phoebe stood up from the floor, stretching her limbs. "I'm half-tempted to throw some magic in right about now. Paige is going to be here with her soon."

"But what about personal gain?" Billie pointed out as she, too, got up and stretched.

"Yeah, well, screw personal gain!" Phoebe mocked. "A child's need to sleep is at stake here. I need something to drink, my throat is feeling dry. Coming?" Phoebe made her way out from the small bedroom and into the kitchen as Billie followed closely behind.

"Well, there's always the couch," Billie joked.

Phoebe gave Billie one of her looks as Billie smirked back at her. When they reached the kitchen sink, she handed Billie a glass of water she filled up from the faucet. After getting her own glass of water, she made her way over to her living room to sit on the couch. Billie sat down beside her.

"Actually, there's always Coop," supplied Phoebe. "I may be bound by the personal gain rule but he isn't."

"Ah, good thinking!" Billie gave her the thumbs-up sign.

Phoebe smiled. "Coop!" she shouted into the air. "Get your butt down here!"

In a pink shimmer created from a centered, heart-shaped formation, Coop appeared before both girls. He noticed Billie immediately. "Oh, hey Billie," he greeted, before looking at Phoebe. He bent down and left a soft kiss on Phoebe's lips.

"Hey. Congratulations, by the way," added Billie, referring to the news on their recent engagement.

"Yeah, thanks," he smiled. He knew Phoebe had broken the news without him but in the end he knew he shouldn't have expected anything different. She wasn't one to hold information in for very long, if at all. Then he looked from both Phoebe to Billie as a quizzical look played across his face. "Was there something in particular that you ladies needed?"

"Ah, see, look at that. We're not even married yet and he knows me so well," Phoebe joked with Billie, while earning a laugh from her and a smile from Coop.

"Sweetie," Phoebe began in a sweet tone of voice. "Do you think you can do me the biggest favor?"

"And what would that be?" he smirked.

Billie spoke up and interjected on Phoebe's behalf. "Well, you see, Phoebe's sort of helping out this lost little girl who's coming to live with her. Only she's magical and needs a place to sleep ..."

She was cut off by the sound of Phoebe's voice. "Um, thanks, Billie but I think I can take it from here."

"Oops! Sorry about that," Billie apologized with an embarrassed smirk and a shrug of the shoulders.

Coop smiled at the innocent display of banter between the two.

"Yeah, do you think you can do me a tiny, magical favor?" she emphasized, squeezing her thumb and index finger close together in demonstration. "I need you to whip up Molly's bedroom in a flash. I thought I could get it all done today but I was wrong," she explained, hoping to gain his sympathy.

"Yeah, and apparently she's misplaced her wrench too," Billie mocked and then proceeded to smirk in her direction. Phoebe gave her a playful nudge.

"Molly?" Coop asked feeling amused.

"Yeah, she would be the little girl coming to live with me for awhile," explained Phoebe. Then she noticed the questioning look spread across his face. "And I probably should have mentioned that little fact to you before, seeing as how you practically just about live here too," she added with a small laugh and some apologetic humor mixed in. All of a sudden, they were interrupted by the sound of the door bell ringing. "And that would be her now!" Phoebe exclaimed. "Go! Go!" She pushed him in the direction of the small bedroom.

Phoebe and Billie both approached the door slowly, waiting until Coop had disappeared into the room. As Phoebe opened the door, there stood Paige with the little girl by her side. She had her hair pulled back into a single, ponytail while some whisps of fly-away hair graced up and around the sides of her forehead. Then Molly looked up into the face of the woman she had met just a few short days ago.

Phoebe brought herself down to the little girl's eye level with a friendly smile on her face. "Hi, Molly. It's nice to see you again. You get to come and stay with me for awhile, how's that?"

The little girl looked up at Paige and then snuggled closer to Paige's side.

Phoebe noticed Molly's shy-ful reaction and offered her some small words of encouragement. "Hey, you know what? That's okay. You're still going to be able to see Paige whenever you want to."

Molly looked from Phoebe to Paige and Paige nodded her head in agreement.

Billie quietly stood in the background taking in the scene before her. So this was the little girl that the Triad wanted back so badly? The same Triad that took Christy? She silently wondered if there was any sort of connection there between the two kidnappings. However, she was quickly broken from her train of thought at the sound of Phoebe introducing her to the child.

"And Molly? This is Billie. She's a very special friend like me and Paige. She helps us alot with the bad people. So you'll be seeing her around. But she can help you too," remarked Phoebe.

Billie brought herself down to the child. "Hi there. It's very nice to meet you Molly." She gently extended her hand for the little girl to take.

Molly looked at the outstretched hand, considering whether or not she should take it. Then she tentatively reached out her small hand and made contact with Billie's. Suddenly, a strange sensation coarsed from Molly's hand straight through Billie's. It felt like a warm, tingling sort of energy and Billie could have sworn she even saw a blue spark when they made contact.

_Whoa, that was weird._

Billie, Phoebe, Paige, and Molly all made their way into the living room.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Okay, whew. **Lol, **it felt like it took me forever to get this chapter done. Anyways, I hope you liked it and of course all feedback is welcome. And another chapter will be coming soon. **:o) **


	9. Halliwell Family Secrets Pt 1

**:o) **Okay, **Jedi Alanna ... **I think I'm going to dedicate this chapter to you, lol. It sounds like you've been anxiously awaiting this part so here it goes and I hope it meets your expectations.

**Author's Note: **Although this chapter will still feature the sisters, this is going to be a Billie-centric chapter because it reveals her background. Personally, I've always enjoyed the Billie character but I was surprised to find out from other forums that alot of people didn't like her. I guess many people just felt that she was a waste of time to the overall Charmed plot-line but in my fan-fiction I'm giving her character a legitimate connection/place in the Charmed Universe because I do like her. So love her or hate her, here she comes.

* * *

**Chapter 8: Halliwell Family Secrets Pt. 1**

Billie had finished packing the rest of her parents belongings into the many boxes that were now organized in straight rows across the living room floor. All that remained were the few, scattered pieces of furniture in various rooms of the house.

_Well, this is almost it._

Billie looked around her former, childhood home. She was waiting for the movers to arrive and help her discard the unwanted furniture and to store the packed boxes in a storage unit until she figured out what to do with it all. There was certainly no way it was all going to fit in her one room over at the Halliwell Manor.

About two weeks had passed since her sister Christy had mysteriously resurrected here, in the house. And about a week since she had vanished for the second time in Billie's life. But Billie trusted the sisters. They promised they would find Christy and bring her back; therefore, she believed them. She felt like she needed it to happen so badly in part for her own sanity but also to ease her guilty conscious. The sad truth was that Christy would now be the only living connection she had left to what was once her family.

Billie was still contemplating finding out if there was in fact another birth family out there somewhere. At the very least, she acknowledged it was something she needed to do if only to answer some questions about herself. Who could she possibly be and where did these powers come from? More importantly, why would her parents give her away to be raised by mortals? These were some of the questions that plagued her thoughts. But even moreso, she was scared. Scared of what she could find out. What if somehow she didn't measure up? Or even worse, what if these people didn't want to be found at all? Were they evil? Was it possible that hidden deep within her, something dark resided and that's what allowed the Triad to use her to try and destroy the Charmed Ones?

_Okay, Billie, stop. There's no point in thinking up the worst case scenarios. _

She walked towards the kitchen to get a drink of water. And as she passed by the kitchen wall, she noticed the flashing red light on the telephone receiver. A voice-mail was left on it.

_Maybe one of the sisters had news about Christy?_

She pressed the button to listen.

_"You have one new message," _came the automated voice recording. _"New Message One ..." _and then the voice of a man registered.

_"Hi, Billie. This is Attorney James Myers calling. I was the attorney handling your parents' Will and Estate. I just wanted to call and offer my sincerest condolences. Also, I have a sealed envelope in my possession that's addressed to you. It was entered with the Will shortly before your parents' deaths. My instructions were to have it mailed to you. So I've sent it to you through certified mail and to your address on campus. I figured you'd be spending most of your time there during the school year. Just make sure that you're around to sign for it. Thanks."_

_"Message Ended," _concluded the automated voice.

_A sealed envelope? _

However, she decided not to dwell on it, retrieved some water from the kitchen sink, and made her way back to her parents old bedroom. She stopped and took a deep breath as she carefully examined her reflection through the dresser mirror. Placing her water glass down, her hand made its way down to the drawer, pulled it open, and searched for the small shoebox she kept hidden inside there.

This was it. Time to find some answers. She was closing the book on one chapter of her life and opening the door to another as she opened the box to retrieve the letter. The one letter in existence that could hold a possible mystery to her real identity. But as she stuck her hand inside, it was greeted by the sole feeling of cardboard material instead of paper. The box was empty.

_What the ... ? _

Billie frantically flipped the small box upside down. The letter was gone.

**ooooo**

_**Underworld ...**_

Lana paced the length of the ground floor.

The shape-shifting demon stood far behind her. He was awaiting further instructions on what he was suppose to do next. So far, their plan to deceive Billie had been a success. They had managed to convince her that Lana was indeed the real Christy and that another shape-shifting demon, like himself, had taken Christy's place to help Dumain and the Triad earlier this year. Instead, that's who Billie had really vanquished.

But most of the Underworld knew the truth by now. The real Christy had been dead for some time. Dumain and the Triad had kept her alive just long enough to collect a handful of memories for the memory transplant. Of course, being that she was a mere mortal whose brain couldn't handle the stress placed upon it by dark magic, the memory scan is what had finally killed the poor girl. However, they had needed those memories for their plan to work.

Lana, accepting that she wouldn't remember her own identity after the memory transplant, had been more than willing to complete the task. She had been eager to prove her worth to the rest of the Triad collective. Therefore, the memories were transplanted into Lana so that Christy's life experience since the abduction would sound convincing to Billie. That, and the powers obtained from the little girl should have made Billie and Lana unstoppable. However, in the end, the plan had ultimately failed and after Lana's resurrection her memory had been restored.

"Sorry, Billie!" Lana announced with an evil grin and in a mocking gesture. She extended her hand to reveal a piece of paper. The paper flamed into ash as she set it on fire in the palm of her hand. "You may be _Charmed, _but you're never going to find it out!" She released an insidious laugh.

The shape-shifter demon watched in amusement as the key piece of evidence hinting at Billie's true identity lit up in smoke and finally disintegrated into nothing. He watched as Lana magically pulled two vials from the air, each filled with a dark substance that could not be identified by him.

"It's almost time, Lyman," she announced to the shape-shifter. She walked over in his direction. "I'm going to need you to shape-shift into me again. As soon as we leave this protected sanctuary, the sisters will probably try to scry again and this time they'll be able to find us!"

He bowed his head to the Triad daughter. "As you wish," he replied. "What shall be done when they come for us?"

"You will do nothing but shimmer out once they see you," she ordered. "I, on the other hand, will allow them to take me back and will use one of these vials to temporarily strip my demonic powers. Fooling Billie is one thing, but the Charmed Ones are a whole other story. By now, they probably suspect me for what I really am. A demon. But my guess is that before they try to vanquish me, they're going to use some spell or potion to help them uncover my demonic origins just to be sure. But without my demonic powers to track, they won't be able to prove it."

"And what of the other vial?" the shape-shifter inquired.

Lana raised the second vial into the air.

"This vial will restore my powers when I'm ready," she instructed. "But I'll have to find a way to hide it so they don't find it on me. The plan isn't a guaranteed way to convince the sisters indefinitely, but at least the Charmed Ones will be confused long enough for it to buy me some time!"

"Time for what?" asked Lyman.

"Time to do Gideon's job and track down that little girl before it's too late!" she shouted.

The shape-shifter nodded and looked down in an effort to display that his intentions were not to appear insubordinate by questioning her authority.

"Billie has already come one step closer to finding out the truth," she affirmed, in a steadier tone of voice. "But it shouldn't be taking this long to find one, small child. He's letting his need for revenge get in the way of what he should be doing. Which is to concentrate on the completion of the Triad collectives resurrection so that we will be stronger as a whole. Only then will we have the power to destroy the Charmed Ones and their next generation for good. He acts like he can accomplish this on his own."

The shape-shifter nodded his head in agreement and proceeded to follow in Lana's direction as they prepared to engage in the next phase of their plan. Lana slipped off the top to the first vial and drank the liquid. She proceeded to slip the remaining vial inside the right side of her shoe and smirked. Then they left the confines of the dark sanctuary for the final time.

**ooooo**

Phoebe stood behind the kitchen counter.

She finished preparing breakfast for both her and Molly; however, Piper was definitely the cook in the family. However, she had successfully made a pancake or two in her day. Molly had been living with her for almost a week now and she seemed to be adjusting well.

Molly sat at the small kitchen table, awaiting the arrival of her food. Her small tummy grumbled because she was hungry. Phoebe brought the dish of pancakes to the table and a bottle of syrup in her other hand.

"Here you go, sweetie," she replied, giving Molly her plate of food.

"Thank you," came her soft reply back.

Phoebe smiled. "You're very welcome."

Phoebe proceeded to pour her a glass of milk while Molly grabbed for the syrup. The little girl used the syrup to create her own skillful masterpiece on top of her pancake. Then she let out a small laugh which drew Phoebe's attention.

"Look, Phoephe!" her little voice rejoiced merrily.

Phoebe surpressed a small laugh at the pronunciation of her name. For whatever reason, the little girl had taken to calling her that over the past few days but Phoebe found it amusing so she stopped trying to correct her. The attempts hadn't been working anyway.

"Momma says he smiles funny just like me!" Molly continued on as she giggled. "Silly dimples!" she announced, clapping her hands together excitedly.

_Silly dimples. _

Phoebe's brow contorted into deep concentration as a memory buried in the deep recesses of her mind tried to fight its way up to the surface. It was obvious that the little girl held onto some fond memories of her parents or at least good memories of her mother. She quickly reflected on the horror and fear this mother had to be enduring, wondering and not knowing the fate of her child. Phoebe knew she needed to be found. That's if she was still alive to be found but she and her sisters would do their best to help make it happen if it was indeed possible. However, she pushed the thought away as she leaned in closer to get a better view of Molly's squiggly artwork on her pancake. The design that sat upon it, combined with the child's words spoken only seconds before, suddenly caused Phoebe to be pulled into that buried memory of her own ...

**(Memory flashback)**

_Six-year old Phoebe sat at the dining room table waiting anxiously for breakfast to be served. _

_"I'm hungry!" she exclaimed impatiently, as she threw her small head back to look up at the ceiling while she swayed her legs under the table._

_"Ow!" eleven-year old Prue wailed as she felt the accidental kick come from her youngest sister, sitting across the table. She used her own leg to kick her back._

_"Hey!" came Phoebe's protest. "That hurts!" Phoebe pouted._

_"Then, stop kicking me!" Prue argued back._

_"I didn't mean to!" Phoebe wanted to cry. "Grams?" she called out._

_Suddenly, Grams appeared from the kitchen with nine-year old Piper walking in front of her. Piper was carrying a plate of pancakes in her hands._

_"Girls, stop the fighting now!" warned Grams._

_"But, Grams, she's kicking me on purpose," argued Prue._

_"Am not!" little Phoebe protested loudly, defending herself._

_"Alright, I said knock it off!" exclaimed Grams in an authoritative tone. "Or both of you are leaving the table without breakfast!"_

_With the threat of no breakfast looming over their heads, both Prue and Phoebe clammed up because they were hungry. Piper proudly placed the plate of pancakes on the table before taking her seat. She had helped Grams to prepare them and she felt good about it. Cooking was fun._

_After everyone was served, Prue grabbed for the syrup first as she took her time to create her own drawing concoction. Then she turned her plate around to display it before Phoebe._

_"Look, Pheebs?! He looks just like you," Prue laughed. "Phoebe and her silly dimples. When she's not pouting like a baby, that is." She flashed a confident smile in her baby sister's direction, one of her hands placed over her other one on top of the table. _

_This earned a small laugh from both Piper, who brought her small hand up to cover her mouth, and Grams who looked between the two girls. Phoebe crossed her arms in a defensive stance, pouted her lips, in order to send the message to her big sister that she didn't appreciate being made fun of._

_"I'm just kidding," Prue soothed, before she resumed eating her breakfast with the others._

**(End of flashback)**

Phoebe was pulled from the memory by the sound of a frantic knock on her door. _Who can that be this early, _she wondered as she got up from her seat to answer it. As she did, she was greeted by Billie who entered the apartment in a flash.

"Billie!" Phoebe replied, barely getting the chance to greet her.

"It's gone!" Billie exclaimed in a panic as she turned around to face Phoebe. "I've looked everywhere and it's gone!"

"Okay, whoa. Slow down. What's gone?" asked Phoebe.

"The letter!" answered Billie. "I don't get it. I know I left it in the shoebox after I separated it from the other letters. So where did it go?"

Phoebe slowly shook her head not quite sure what to say. "Uh, well, are you sure you didn't take it some place with you but you just forgot? Maybe to the manor?" she suggested.

Billie shook her head. "No, I'm positive I left it back at my parents' house. That's why I did so I wouldn't lose it with everything that's been going on!"

Phoebe didn't know what else to suggest. So, instead, she tried offering up alternative solutions.

"Okay, Billie, you do know there are other ways to go about a search, right? I mean, from what you've told us that letter didn't give up that much information anyway. Why don't you try an Internet search or something? The letter may eventually turn back up."

Billie listened but felt resistant. "Yeah, but how am I going to find out anything without a name or some other personal information? Adoption records are sealed so it's not like I'll be able to go and get a copy of my original birth certificate with the names of my real parents on it," she argued.

She felt frustrated. Just days ago she had been debating whether or not she would ever go looking at all but now it seemed like fate was preventing it altogether. At that precise moment, Molly decided to pounce off her chair and come running over to Billie.

"Billie!" she exclaimed, as she ran to Billie, placing her small arms around her legs and embracing her. "Want to play with me?" She looked up to Billie expectantly.

Molly had spent a considerable amount of time with Billie over the course of the past few days. When she wasn't busy with classes, Billie had offered to help Phoebe out with some babysitting when she had to work at the office. Victor, Phoebe's father, had offered to assist when Billie couldn't. After all, he was already helping Piper out with the boys.

Billie responded by hugging the little girl back. She was agitated about her current predicament but she didn't want to make Molly feel bad by ignoring her. "Oh I'm sorry, honey, but not today, okay? I have to take care of something very important."

Molly frowned and Billie knelt down in front of her.

"But guess what? I promise that when I'm all done you and I will sit down and we can play any game that you want to. How about that?" she tried to bargain with the little girl.

Molly thought about it and then held up three of her fingers in the air. "Three games?" her little voice bartered.

"It's a deal," Billie agreed. She laughed as Molly offered her little pinkie finger so that they could "pinkie shake" on it. Satisfied, the little girl ran back in the opposite direction to finish her breakfast.

Phoebe smiled at the scene. When Billie turned to resume their discussion, they were interrupted by the ringing of Phoebe's house phone.

"Uh, sorry, let me get that real quick," she apologized as she made her way over to pick it up.

**ooooo **

Piper had just finished feeding Wyatt and Chris their breakfast when she decided to call Phoebe.

Paige had taken the day off from work to help continue in the search for the Triad and any demons helping them. She was already up in the attic getting a head start and Piper wanted to ask Phoebe for her help too. She walked out of the kitchen holding Chris in one arm, while straining to cradle the phone against her ear and shoulder. She was waiting for Phoebe to answer. Wyatt walked beside her.

"Hello?" came Phoebe's reply.

"Hey. Are you free to come help us today? Paige is already here working on a potion for when we find those shape-shifters."

"Uh, I guess I can help for a little while before heading to the office later. But I do have Molly with me," Phoebe reminded her.

"Oh, that's no problem, just bring her over," came Piper's quick reply. "I have the boys here too, so we'll just keep an eye on all of them." However, her conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door bell. "Um, Phoebe, hold on a minute. Wyatt, honey, why don't you go and play. Mommy will be there in a second," she instructed her son. Wyatt ran off in the direction of the conservatory to play with his toys as little Chris watched. Piper walked over to the door, still struggling to balance Chris against her. He continued squirming in her arms and wanted to be put down.

"No, mommy. Down," he pleaded with her.

She opened the door, revealing a young, darker, complexioned girl with a bright smile. Chris was still struggling against her. "Chris, stop kicking mommy, that's not nice." Piper turned her attention back to the girl standing at the front door. "Hi. Can I help you?" came Piper's quick greeting.

"Down, mommy!" he pleaded again. Piper rolled her eyes a little bit and then released her youngest son. The determined, little, two-year old took off in the direction of his older brother. "Wyatt, Chris is coming to play with you, be nice to your brother while I'm not there," she gently implored out loud.

The girl smiled at the little boy's departure but quickly turned her attention back to Piper. "Uh, hi. Yeah," came the girl's timid response. "Um, this is the Halliwell residence, right? Is Billie staying here?"

"Yes. But I'm sorry, she's not here right now."

"Oh, that's not a problem. My name is Jasmine; I'm Billie's roommate from college. I haven't seen her at the dorm lately and I needed to give her this. A man dropped it by this morning and I had to sign for it. I just wanted to make sure she got it." The young girl extended her hand to reveal a manila-colored envelope.

Piper looked down at it, reaching for it. "Oh. Okay. Well, I'll definitely make sure she gets this."

The girl smiled back. "Thanks." She started to turn around but hesitated before leaving. "Um, one last thing. Could you do me a favor and just tell Billie that I'm still very sorry about her parents and everything. And if you could tell her that we miss not having her around. She should come back and hang out for awhile."

"Will do," Piper smiled before the girl left. "Thanks for stopping by."

While closing the door, she looked down at the envelope that was addressed to Billie and felt a chill run up and down her spine. However, little did she know that the contents held within the sealed envelope were about to reveal a shocking secret that would change everything.

**ooooo**

Phoebe and Billie made their way into the manor with little Molly in tow.

"Piper, we're here!" Phoebe announced, making her way up the stairs. Billie picked up Molly as she also ascended the stairs right behind her.

After Phoebe ended her phone conversation with Piper, she had asked Billie if she would be willing to keep a watch on the kids while she worked with Piper and Paige to help find the demons that took Christy. Billie had agreed, after Phoebe had assured her that in the near future, she would try and assist her with an Internet search to help her find out whether or not there was another family out there somewhere. When they reached the second floor, Piper was seen descending the stairs leading to the attic.

"Hey, you two!" she exclaimed at the sight of Phoebe and Billie. "Or three" she added in a softer voice for the benefit of Molly who was hoisted up in Billie's arms. As Piper looked between the two of them, she could have sworn that she had picked up on a resemblance.

"Paige is upstairs?" asked Phoebe. Although it was only asked for confirmation purposes. She already knew the answer.

"Yup, head on up. I'll be right there," said Piper.

Phoebe turned to Billie and whispered a 'thanks' as she went to the attic.

"And you Miss Molly? How would you like to have your very own playmate for today," she addressed the little girl. Molly, still somewhat shy around the new people in her life, smiled back and eagerly nodded her head. Piper waved her hand to signal them in her direction. "Okay, follow me then," she encouraged playfully.

After Piper opened the door to Wyatt's bedroom, Molly slipped out of Billie's grasp and excitedly ran over to Wyatt, who was playing on the floor with his brother. He noticed her and smiled back.

"Well, then. I guess they won't be having any problems getting along," remarked Piper. Gently, she closed the door behind them. "You don't mind keeping a watch on them? Leo's busy at Magic School otherwise I'm sure he wouldn't have minded. And my dad really needed to use a break."

Billie shrugged. "Sure, it's no problem," she assured her. "Besides, the less you guys are distracted, the more time you have to work on finding Christy."

"Thanks. Oh, I almost forgot. Your roommate, from college, stopped by earlier with something that came for you in the mail. I left it on the nightstand in your room."

Billie smiled. It was officially the first time she ever heard Piper refer to Phoebe's old bedroom as her own. Maybe they were making some progress after all? Then Billie remembered the message she had received from the voice-mail this morning. "Thanks, Piper," came her final response as she headed off in the direction of her room.

Piper watched her go. "Oh, and she's worried about you!" Piper called out. "You should stop by soon and let her know you're okay!" Then Piper sauntered back to the attic.

**ooooo**

Billie felt a sudden wave of exhaustion overtake her while lying on the bed. All she wanted was to let her head hit the pillow and fall into a peaceful sleep. Something she had been lacking lately. She had checked on the kids twice, the second time placing them down for their own naps. The manila-colored envelope remained sealed and unread on the nightstand beside her. A part of her wanted to read it. However, that other part of her dreaded what she could possibly find on the inside of it but she couldn't explain why she felt that way.

_Screw it!_

She finally gave in and grabbed the envelope beside her, wrestling to tear off the sticky part that sealed the entry point completely closed off. As she stuck her hand inside, she pulled out a long piece of paper. After glancing down at the beautifully scripted penmanship, there was no mistaking the handwriting. It belonged to her mother. Eagerly, her eyes scanned the contents of the letter ...

_Dear Billie,_

_If you are reading this now, sadly, it is because I am no longer with you and I couldn't find the courage to be truthful with you while I was still alive. Hopefully, this isn't coming too late._

_I've wrestled with this decision for many years since Christy vanished. The decision to tell you the whole truth. See, when we came out to visit you at school just recently, you confronted your father and me about our search for your sister. The truth is that part of what I had been feeling had nothing to do with your sister at all and everything to do with you. And I had the opportunity to be completely honest with you then but I was a coward and couldn't do it. _

_Let me explain. You see, after your sister was taken from us you were all we had left in this world and we didn't want to lose you too. That may sound selfish but it's how we felt. How I felt. However, now that I'm most likely gone, all I have left to offer you is that truth. I fear the decision to keep the truth may have cost you more than it helped you and for that, I'm truly sorry. Please forgive me. _

_So how do I begin? Well, let's start with your grandmother. I told you a little bit of the truth during our last visit. You did have a grandmother who was just like you; however, she is not my mother. She was a wonderful woman that I had the honor of meeting after she saved my life many years ago. Her full name was Patricia Halliwell but we called her Patty. Patty was a powerful witch, very much like yourself, as I have come to suspect. Unfortunately, our meeting did come from my introduction into a world I never knew existed ... a world you're most likely destined to enter into if you haven't already. I beg you, please be careful. It's that very same world that eventually claimed her life and left her own children without a mother._

_Which brings me to the part of the story concerning you. I remained in contact with Patty's mother, Penelope Halliwell and your great-grandmother, for some time before we cut ties with each other. Penny was raising Patty's three daughters at the time when she came to me and asked if I'd be willing to make a home for you. Your father and I accepted and we brought you into our lives to love and care for. Yes, this does mean I am confirming we are not your biological parents. But Christy is ... __**was**__ our natural daughter. So I'm sorry I misled you into believing that she was like you. _

_I believe you have already made contact with the Halliwells. I recognized Patty's former home when you brought us there to meet her daughters. And wow, how the time has flown by. I remember meeting them when Patty was still alive and they were so young. Um, Paige? I believe that is her name if I am remembering correctly. She was the only daughter I never met before. But they all seem like strong, capable women and I'm sure they will prove to be the positive role models you will need for the future. _

_Now, I'm not sure about your natural father, but your mother came to us when she was still a teenager in high school. She stayed with us until you were born and then returned back home. Her name was Prudence but we called her, Prue. I remember she had a very stubborn way about her, which sometimes reminds me of you ... lol! _

_Please don't blame yourself for Christy, it was never your fault and we never once saw it that way. You were a joy in our lives and we love you very much. I would never trade having you as a daughter for anything in this world. I hope that I have at least provided you some comfort by reassuring you of that. So take this information and do what you feel you need to. If you're ready and want them to know the truth, please know that you have my blessing._

_Love forever,_

_Mom_

Billie's mind froze in shock. All time seemed to come to a complete stop as she digested what she had just read coming from her own mother. Then, very briefly, she shed some tears for a mother she would never be able to see again. However, her mind quickly reverted back to the contents within the letter.

Did she just read and discover what she thought she had? Was this even possible? Did this letter just confirm that her birth mother was a Halliwell, that the Halliwells were her other family? Piper, Phoebe, Paige, the boys, all of them? The people she had set out to destroy earlier this year were actually the very same people she shared unknown family ties with? Billie shook her head in denial.

_No, this has to be some kind of joke._

Suddenly, there was a knock at the bedroom door that startled Billie from her frozen state. It was Phoebe. She jumped off the bed quickly searching for a place to hide the letter. The quickest thing she could think of was to hide it under her pillow. Which she did before straightening herself out to look presentable.

Billie opened the door and plastered on a fake smile across her face.

**ooooo**

Phoebe made her way down the attic stairs to share the news with Billie.

She and her sisters had spent over an hour trying to get a location on the demons and were finally successful with it. Now she just had to convince Billie that it was in her best interest to stay behind with the kids while she, Piper, and Paige went to take care of it. Phoebe knew that wasn't going to be an easy thing to do. Billie had a very determined, stubborn way about her. She often wondered where Billie got it from because her parents had seemed so much different. She approached the door and knocked.

"Billie? It's Phoebe. Can I come in?" Silence ensued until the door bolted open. There stood Billie with a peculiar smile on her face.

"Hey!" Billie exclaimed, nervously pushing some hair behind her ear. She refused to meet Phoebe's stare.

"Hey, yourself," Phoebe drew out carefully. She had picked up on the funny edge to Billie's voice and she could almost feel a prickly energy filling the air. "Uh, is, everything okay?" she asked, using her eyes to scan the room.

Billie shook her head, pretending she had no idea why Phoebe would ask her such a thing.

"Fine!" she exclaimed, looking at Phoebe wide-eyed.

Phoebe let the peculiar moment pass as she made her way over to sit on the bed. Billie's eyes caught the pillow positioned directly behind where Phoebe was now sitting. She made her way over to sit beside her, admonishing herself along the way. Billie closed her eyes and sighed.

_That was the dumbest place in the world to hide that. __What am I, like five? Please don't let her find it._

Phoebe looked to Billie. "Um, look, we think we found were the demons are hiding."

Billie glanced at the pillow a second time. "Oh. Okay. That's great!" she replied in a distracted manner.

"But the thing is, we think it would be best if you let us go down there and handle it while you stay behind," Phoebe finished.

Billie nodded her head in agreement. She would promise Phoebe the moon right now if it meant she could get her out of the room and away from that pillow. "Okay, sure."

Phoebe's brows furrowed in shock. _Wait, it's going to be that easy, _Phoebe questioned herself. "Um, _okay sure_?" she repeated. "You mean, you're actually not going to challenge us on this?"

"No. I mean, you guys know what's best, right?" she replied in a hurry. Then she stood up motioning for Phoebe to leave. "So why don't you guys go get started on that and I'll stay here with the kids." She then cast her third and final glance at the pillow. This time, Phoebe paid attention to it.

_What is she looking at like that? _

Phoebe turned around to grab for the pillow. As she did, the letter flew out.

"No!" Billie screeched, as the letter flew up in the air and slid onto the floor by Phoebe's feet.

Both women reached for the piece of paper, but Phoebe was just a second ahead of Billie, beating her to it. As Phoebe made contact with the paper, she was immediately pulled into a series of premonitions. Premonitions of the past ...

**(Premonition)**

_A young, dark-haired teenager lying in a hospital bed. Her face is turned away from the woman standing beside her with a baby in her arms. The baby is swaddled in a pink and white, designer blanket. _

_The woman attempts to hand the baby to the girl but she refuses to hold her. The girl proceeds to shift her body into a fetal position and sob._

**(Premonition #2)**

_The next premonition shows the dark-haired girl when she was still very pregnant. She's sitting inside a kitchen, at a table. She looks to be involved with schoolwork as a man sits with her. He appears to be tutoring her in her studies. When the man's face comes into full view, it sends a shiver up Phoebe's spine. She recognizes him instantly. Dumain. _

**(Premonition #3)**

_The last premonition takes Phoebe further into the past. It's a premonition that shows Patty, Penny, and is that Mrs. Jenkins? It looks like a much younger version of Billie's mom standing inside the Halliwell manor with mom and grams. In fact, it's the same woman from the first premonition in the hospital room holding onto a baby. The dark-haired girl's baby._

After the series of flashes ends, Phoebe shudders. She shudders because she recognized that dark-haired girl from the visions. It was her sister.

"Prue" Phoebe muttered into the open as her eyes misted over.

She looks from the letter to a very stunned Billie, piecing together the new revelation within an instant. Now that the truth was staring her right in the face, it all made perfect sense. Billie's determination, that stubborn quality, and even the powers. The similarities were all there. Billie was the baby from that premonition and she was Prue's daughter.

**ooooo **

All three sisters shared a stunned silence as they stood in the middle of the attic, waiting for Piper to finish reading the letter. Paige had gotten to read it after Phoebe. Phoebe also took the time to explain what she had seen in her visions while Billie insisted on being left alone in her room with her own thoughts on the matter. The sisters had decided to respect that for the time being until they could come to terms with it themselves.

Piper lowered the letter. Of all three, she was the quietest until now. "I can't believe it!" she declared matter-of-factually. "Prue pregnant? I would have known something like that. Not to mention, she never would have kept a secret like that from me. We were close."

After picking up on the defensive tone edged in Piper's voice, Paige looked to Phoebe. To this day, Prue was still a sensitive subject for Piper. And Paige knew that. While she barely spoke a word about Prue, she remained very protective of what her relationship to her older sister had been like. And damn anyone who tried to contradict it. But still, Paige tried to offer up an insightful alternative to why her sisters may not have known. She shrugged.

"Well, maybe she was just scared? She would have just been a teenager at the time."

"Yeah, but scared or not she couldn't have hidden a secret that big!" interjected Phoebe. "I mean, I do know that Prue went through a rebellious period around seventeen so I guess anything is possible. I know I was young but I certainly don't remember Prue being pregnant."

Piper remained quiet while her thoughts raced and her sisters speculated. When would Prue have had the baby? She searched the depths of what she could remember from their adolescence, trying to decipher anything that popped into place. Then, finally, one faded memory made its way to the surface ...

**(Memory Flashback)**

_Seventeen-year old Prue rushed into the manor. _

_She practically slammed the front door right in fifteen-year old Piper's face in her haste to get inside and upstairs. The entire ride back had been filled with tension as Prue and Grams argued about stupid things the whole way home. It was the last day of school and they were now out for the summer. _

_Piper didn't understand her big sister lately. Usually, they talked about everything but these past few months Prue had been ignoring her and acting out alot. She would talk back to their Grams, openly defy her rules by staying out late, and she even started skipping school near the end. Piper choked it all up to Prue experiencing "boyfriend problems." Don't take it out on me, she had thought to herself. __It was times like these that she was glad she wasn't so popular. She didn't want to have to appear cool or worry about who she was dating. _

_Piper watched Prue open her bedroom door, slam her backpack onto the bed, and walk back over to slam the door in Piper's face. Still, Piper tried to be the supportive middle sister. She could hear sobbing come from the other side of the door. Yup, she's definitely upset about something big, thought Piper._

_"Prue?" Piper gently called out, as she knocked on the door. "What's wrong?" _

_She hated to hear her big sister cry. It was a rare occasion when anyone would get to see her cry. Prue wouldn't let it happen._

_"Go away!" she demanded from the other side. _

_"Prue, I just want to help, that's all!" Piper pleaded with her older sister._

_"Well, you can't!" Prue protested. "So just leave me alone!"_

_Suddenly, Grams came up the stairs. Piper could tell that she was angry so she immediately stepped out of her way. _

_"Piper, go to your room!" she instructed. Then she proceeded to bang on Prue's door. "Prudence Grace, open this door right now!" she demanded. "Do you hear me?"_

_Piper backed up at the sound of her grandmother's tone. Twelve-year old Phoebe also made it upstairs and walked out into the hallway to see what all the commotion was about._

_"I hope you're happy, Grams!" Prue's shouting could be heard through her sobs. "Andy broke up with me today because I couldn't see him, thanks to you! And it was embarrassing. On the last day of school. He did it in front of everybody. I hate you!" _

_"Hate me all you want to," Grams continued, completely undeterred. "Andy is graduating. He's going off to college in the fall. And I have every intention of making sure that's what you'll be doing next year!" Grams yelled back. "I'm not going to allow you to ruin your future! Not for yourself or for him!" _

_Piper went to stand beside Phoebe and she placed her arms around her younger sister in the mist of the heated argument going down between their grams and big sister._

_"I'm not going anywhere!" she back-talked her grandmother in open defiance. "I'll just move out after next year. When I turn eighteen, you can't tell me what to do anymore."_

_"Prudence Halliwell?! You start packing your bags. I mean it! We are leaving, tonight, right after dinner! Do you understand me?" Grams demanded._

_Young Phoebe, not fully grasping the intent behind her Grams' words, panicked and called out because she didn't want her big sister to be made to go away forever. __"No, Grams! Don't be mad at Prue anymore. I don't want her to leave. We need her here!" her voice trembled._

_Grams turned on the two girls. "PIPER! I told you to stay in your room. Now take your sister and go right now!" _

_Piper didn't even hesitate this time. She turned Phoebe around and led her down the hallway to their room. Whatever had Grams so upset, she certainly didn't want to get caught in the middle of it. Unfortunately, Prue was on her own with this one._

**(Memory Flashback Ends)**

Piper was pulled from her memory, just in time, to hear the ending words from a conversation between her sisters.

"Well, unfortunately, Prue's the only one with the answer," Phoebe's voice drifted into Piper's awareness.

"Or Grams!" Piper spit out, placing her memory in proper context.

That had to be what Grams and Prue were arguing about that day before Prue left for the summer. Grams had told them that Prue's behavior was out of control. Therefore, she would be attending a summer internship studying abroad. Grams explained that it would help Prue prepare for college in another year, that it was a place where she could take on some responsibility, and where kids learned how to apply self-discipline.

Well, as it had turned out, Prue did the internship that summer and remained for a fall internship. Piper had never bothered to question it because Prue had, in fact, been rebelling. Prue and Piper had remained in contact by writing letters to each other back and forth. A few times they had even spoken on the phone. But Piper quickly recalled that those telephone conversations were always monitored by Grams and the letters from Prue had no return addresses. Grams would also mail hers out. Prue eventually returned home for the Christmas holidays and the new year. Only now, with this letter and Phoebe's premonitions to back it up, that didn't appear to be completely truthful. Had there ever been an internship? It would now appear as if Grams had really sent Prue away to have a baby and give it up.

"Huh?" exclaimed Paige, confused by her oldest sister's sudden outburst.

_Had Piper even heard what they were talking about?_

Piper marched over to the podium which held the Book of Shadows. She flipped to the page that contained the summoning spell and began to recite. She could feel her adrenaline pumping. How many more family secrets would they be forced to endure? Because this one nearly got them killed six months ago.

Phoebe and Paige watched in anticipation as Piper recited the spell.

_"Hear these words, Hear my cry; Spirit from the other side; Come to me, I summon thee; Cross now the Great Divide!"_

The three sisters waited and watched as white orbs materialized into the familiar face of Grams.

**ooooo**

The spirit of Grams turned around to face the three, perplexed faces before her. Well, make that two perplexed stares. One face wore a mask of hurt and anger.

"Girls?" Grams addressed them. "Why did you summon me here? Is there something wrong?" She looked to each of them. Both Phoebe and Paige refused to meet her gaze; however, when she met Piper's unwavering stare, her eyes burned with fury.

"Yeah, you can say that!" announced Piper in an angry tone. "Something is most definitely wrong!" she hollered. "Wrong with this family! I swear, I think it's certifiable! I'm fed up with all the family secrets coming back to bite us in the ass!"

She couldn't help it, but she felt betrayed by both Prue and Grams. First, Prue dies and is replaced by a long lost sister that they knew nothing about. Her death had caused the Power of Three to be made vulnerable because Paige had to learn from scratch and play catch-up. And if that wasn't bad enough, now they find out that Prue left behind a daughter. But not just any daughter. A daughter that showed up here over a year ago, only to be used by the Triad to help destroy them. How messed up was that? And all because they were kept in the dark, away from the truth. Her anger boiled and she felt an immense hatred directed at them all right now. Maybe her feelings were irrational but in the heat of this moment, she didn't really care.

"Piper? I have no idea what you're going on about but summoning me here so you can take it out on me isn't going to solve whatever the problem is!" Grams insisted.

Phoebe and Paige just stood back silently as Piper unleashed her rage. Paige tried not to get offended by the undertone in her sister's insinuation, after all, she had been one of those family secrets from the past. Grams just looked at Piper as if she had lost her mind. She had no idea what had Piper in such an uproar.

"Problem?" Piper screeched. She released a sardonic laugh before continuing. "Yeah, I guess you can call Prue's daughter showing up here last fall to try and kill us this year, a big fat problem!"

The whole room fell dead silent at Piper's angry declaration. Gram's wore a stunned expression plastered across her face as she glanced between Piper and the other two sisters. Phoebe was sporting a sad look of despair as Paige looked on feeling very confused.

"Grams?" Phoebe pleaded softly.

Grams finally relented, casting her eyes down and releasing a heavy sigh laced with remorse.

"I'm sorry girls, I did what I thought was for the best," she admitted. "Prue was young, too young at the time, to take on that kind of responsibility by herself. And I also had to take your futures into consideration."

Piper grunted. "Oh right. That blissful Charmed future that eventually got her killed anyway. Not to mention, the same future that has kept the rest of us from leading normal lives. Is that the future you were trying to protect, uh, Grams?" she mocked. "Because I almost lost my husband to it! Several times. We've almost lost our lives, several times. And look at my children and the disastrous future that might have been."

"Piper!" Grams exclaimed in a stern manner. "I realize that you're upset but what's done is done. It can't be changed. And you're not normal. None of you are," she stressed the message to all three sisters.

Phoebe shook her head, sadly, thinking of Billie's own background.

"Yeah, but neither is Billie," she pointed out to her Grams. "You knew who we were destined to become, did you ever once consider that you could be placing that baby at risk when you made Prue give her up?"

Then at that very same moment, everyone was alerted to the sound of creaking. It was the attic door opening and everyone turned their heads to look. Penny stared at the young girl walking through it. This was the young woman she had made her granddaughter give up so long ago. The great-granddaughter she had never met.

Billie.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **I'm so sorry to leave it off there but this chapter was getting kind of long. I'll get working on the next chapter and post it as soon as I can. So, I hope this chapter wasn't disappointing.


	10. Congratulations, You're A Halliwell!

**:o) Jedi Alanna: **I'm glad you're happy with the outcome of the last chapter. Oh, and about the use of the "lol"? That was the only way I could think of to express that Mrs. Jenkins was lightening the mood at that point. The whole letter was just so serious in nature, you know, lol? Also, you're so close on your other assumption. Think ex-Elder, and you've hit the nail right on the head **;o) **

**lol, **And where did everybody else go? I seem to have lost my loyal followers. Please come back, your input matters too.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Congratulations, You're A Halliwell! **

Billie crept up the attic stairs, slowly, but as she reached the closed door she heard bits and pieces of what sounded like a heated argument. She placed her ear up against the door to listen and make out what was being said. The first voice, filled with anger, she immediately identified as Piper's. However, the second voice sounded strange, almost transient. It was a voice she didn't recognize but one thing was very clear. They were arguing over her and it needed to stop. As she opened the door, it released a creaking sound. She made her way to the middle of the attic with all eyes turning towards her.

"STOP!" she pleaded loudly. "I don't want you to fight about me. Please!"

Billie looked from each of the sisters to the woman standing in the middle of them, who appeared to be studying every inch of her. She was translucent in appearance which signaled to her that she was a ghost. A spirit. She had also heard her referred to as 'Grams' through the door. That probably meant that this woman was her great grandmother. Penelope? Is that what the letter had called her? Anyway, now that she was really looking at her, she seemed familiar. Then Billie remembered. It was six months ago when Coop's ring had pulled Gram's past self into the present. Billie had gotten a quick glimpse of her.

Everyone remained speechless for a matter of seconds.

Phoebe looked between Billie and Grams before heaving a heavy sigh full of weariness. Then, she slowly made her way towards Billie but Billie retreated back from her. At her rebuke, Phoebe immediately halted her movement.

"No!" protested Billie. "If this is a problem for you, any of you, I'm just going to leave. Right now. I don't want you to be angry with each other because of me. And I certainly don't want you hating me because I let you down. I'm the one who is a failure. I'm the one that almost got you all killed."

Both Phoebe and Paige began to shake their head in protest to Billie's claims.

"No, sweetie, no! We don't want you to go anywhere. This is all just a bit of a shock right now," Phoebe insisted. She looked around the room, making it a point to stare at Piper, who refused to even look in Billie's direction. "For all of us!"

"Yeah, and we don't feel like you let us down," Paige stressed as she, too, jumped into the discussion. "Do you actually think that?"

Paige really wanted to know. Because as her whitelighter, she was starting to feel really guilty about not spending enough time around her since the whole Ultimate Battle ordeal went down six months ago. At the time, Paige knew it had been rough on Billie living with the fact that she had vanquished her only sister. But she thought she had been helping her by giving her space. Apparently, Billie had misinterpreted that as rejection. Sure, they were upset in the beginning, but they all acknowledged that Billie had done the right thing in the end. After all, if it hadn't been for her, they never would have been able to project back in time to stop Christy, Dumain, and the Triad. Didn't she realize that?

Before Billie had the chance to answer Paige's question, Piper spoke up. And what she had to say, shocked all of them. "I want to see Prue!" she declared. "I want to see her now!"

Billie swallowed and looked to the floor, while Phoebe and Paige turned their attention back to Grams. Grams closed her eyes and nervously shuffled about before replying to her willful granddaughter's request.

"I'm sorry, Piper, but that's just not possible!" she strongly objected while shaking her head.

"Not possible?" she mocked. "It's been five years now, I think she owes it to us and to Billie to orb her own butt down here and do the explaining. So I want to talk to her. Right now!" Piper demanded, refusing to give up.

"Piper, summoning Prue here is not going to give you the answers you're looking for!" Grams protested.

"Maybe not for her, but maybe she can give some to Billie," Paige offered up.

She still remembered the first time she had met her real mother, Patty. It was right here in this very attic after the sisters had summoned her. So she could relate to Billie and how important that might be for her. And to be completely honest, her own heart was pounding at the prospect of meeting her oldest sister for the first time. The sister she had never seen before, except from a few scattered photographs around the house. She then offered Billie a small smile.

Grams turned to look at Billie before she continued. "I'm very sorry, Billie, but I'm afraid you won't find what you're looking for from Prue. At least, not anytime soon," she replied with a touch of remorse in her voice.

A quizzical expression crossed Billie's face as she tried to decipher what those words meant.

"What is that suppose to mean?" argued Piper. "You're making it more complicated than it is. It's simple. Prue orbs her afterlife butt down here, tells Billie why she gave her away, and then disappears again. How hard can that be?"

"Piper?" warned Phoebe. She was actually getting fed up with Piper's rant. A rant that was being directed intentionally at their deceased sister. When she finally got to see Prue in the afterlife, she wanted the moment to be memorable but not filled with animosity or regrets.

"Because it's not simple, Piper!" Penny Halliwell exclaimed. "She doesn't remember anymore than you do!" Penny didn't want to hurt her newly discovered, great granddaughter, but that was the truth. Well, at least as much of the truth as she was allowed to give. _God, help me, _she thought.

"What do you mean she doesn't remember, Grams?" Phoebe asked anticipating the answer her Grams was most likely about to give. It would be the only answer that made sense.

Penny took one last look at Billie as she sighed and continued.

"It means that I cast a spell to strip her of that particular memory," she explained. "Prue was very depressed when she returned home. I just made it so that she could move on and have a life of her own, that's all. Billie was in good hands, I trusted the Jenkins completely."

While the three sisters were shocked by their grandmother's admission, at the same time, they weren't that surprised. It wouldn't have been the first time their Grams used magic in the name of protecting their so-called Charmed destiny. Billie, on the other hand, had no idea how to feel. However, what shocked everyone was Piper's final response on the matter.

"I'm done!" she exclaimed. She slammed the Book of Shadows, closing it, and made her way to exit the attic.

**ooooo**

At the magic school, Leo and Dimitri were both deeply engaged in their task at hand. They were both re-categorizing and re-shelving all of the magic books into their proper location.

"This is quite the task," Dimitri commented as he climbed back up the ladder to reach the top shelf. Leo remained at the bottom, handing the books to him one by one.

"Yup. Unfortunately, the demons did a real number on the school," explained Leo.

As a new Elder, Dimitri was curious about what had happened. "So, how did the demons get their hands on the school in the first place?" he inquired. "Wasn't this place suppose to be protected by good magic?"

This conversation was heading into an area that Leo really wanted to avoid. It brought up too many bad memories concerning his son, Wyatt. He had been forced to kill Gideon, a high-ranking Elder, in order to save Wyatt and the future. So, he opted to be as vague as he could on the subject.

"Uh, it was but after the Elder in charge of the school died, it sort of just fell by the way-side. Paige tried to head it for awhile but with the whole charmed destiny thing going on, well, you know?" Leo shrugged his shoulders, hoping that was enough to satisfy the new Elder's curiosity.

"Now, Paige?" inquired Dimitri, as he fumbled with one of the books. "She's one of the Charmed sisters, right?"

"Uh, yeah, that's right," answered Leo. He furrowed his brows, wondering where this discussion was suppose to be heading. "Why?"

"Oh, no particular reason. I just heard some talk from other Elders, that's all," he informed Leo.

"About what?"

Leo handed Dimitri some more books he finished organizing. He wished the Elder standing above him would just say what he was getting at so he didn't have to pull the information out of him. Dimitri finished placing the remainder of books on the top shelves and then proceeded to make his way down the ladder. He turned to look at Leo before answering him.

"To tell you the honest truth, I'm not exactly sure what I heard. But I heard her name mentioned along with another one, Prue? I think it was Prue," he concluded, as he took a moment to think about it. "Anyway, the Elders have been on edge about something that happened recently. There's been quite a few meetings over it in the past few days."

The Elder had Leo's full attention.

_Prue? __Why would the Elders be discussing Prue of all people? She's been dead for over five years. And what did it have to do with Paige? _

Suddenly, Leo contemplated whether or not there was anyway that he could use his new Elder status to gain access to one of those meetings. Because whatever concerned his family, concerned him. Plus, he didn't want his wife being placed under any more stress than she needed to be. Not with the new baby coming.

"Well, what happened?" Leo inquired. "What does it have to do with Prue or Paige? Although, I don't see how Prue is relevant to them. She died over five years ago."

"That I don't know because most of the meetings have been delegated to high-ranking Elders only. But what I did over-hear was that they detected a use of magic coming from somewhere they didn't expect. And it highly concerns them. Especially, since it's just recently been discovered that any transmission coming from that source of magic has now been blocked. They can't sense a location anymore."

_Damn,_ thought Leo. _So much for getting in on a meeting. _

But he was actually pretty perplexed and wondered if any of this might be connected to the demons his wife and her sisters were tracking down. However, just as Leo was about to interrogate the matter a little bit more, Dimitri was called away.

"Sorry, Leo," he replied, after the jingling call penetrated his senses. "Duty calls." Then he orbed away.

**ooooo**

"Piper, where do you think you're going?" demanded Phoebe, as she turned around to confront her sister.

"Yeah, you can't leave," Paige stressed. "We have demons to vanquish." Then she quickly looked to Billie before adding, "And a sister to find!"

Piper stopped just as she was about to open the door. "No, actually you have demons to find. I don't!" she reiterated, because they didn't appear to get her message the first time. "I quit! I just don't want to do this anymore. Not when it's all been based on lies!"

"Lies? What lies?" Paige debated, feeling at a complete loss as to what Piper was rambling on about. "Our destiny hasn't been a lie! We've saved tons of innocents to prove it!"

"Oh really?" Piper challenged Paige as she made her way back towards her. "Well then, how about we start with our prophecy? You remember, the one that came from our ancestor, Melinda Warren? Because I could have sworn she predicted a future of three sisters. Not four, but three. So let me ask you this, Paige. Where do you fit into all of this if the lies don't start right there, huh?"

Piper turned back around to make her way back to the door, while poor Paige felt like she had just been slapped in the face. Piper had just taken that one, small, hidden insecurity she still harboured of not belonging, and slung it like an arrow straight through her heart. Phoebe witnessed the devastated look cross her sister's face and came to her defense.

"Piper, that's not fair and you know it!" she shouted. "We all know by now that futures aren't set in stone. Look at Wyatt and Chris. Or take my premonitions as another example. We use them to change the outcome of situations all the time. Melinda was shown what she was allowed to see at that time."

"Yeah, well, you know what? Here's another example of the future changing for ya! Me walking out that door for good," Piper mocked as she turned on her heel and left the attic.

Billie stood to the side, feeling completely helpless. The two remaining sisters looked to the other, both feeling completely unnerved about what just went down in the attic. What were they suppose to do now?

Billie shook her head. She felt a gut-wrenching sensation of guilt pass through her. "This is all my fault. That's exactly why I wanted to wait before I showed anybody that stupid letter!" she exclaimed.

Phoebe walked over to Billie and embraced her in a hug. "No, sweetie, none of this is your fault. Please don't think that. Piper's just being Piper. She'll get over it."

"Geez, are you sure about that?" Paige challenged, not feeling to sure about that herself. Paige knew her older sister had a tendency to obsess and then rant so she could get things off her chest. But what if this time there was no going back?

Phoebe sighed. "She better."

Paige covering up over her own hurt feelings, looked to Billie, and chimed in with a light laugh and playful response. "So. Welcome to our dysfunctional family?" Then she started to ramble. "Not that we didn't already consider you a part of it, it's just now it's official and, ah, you know what I mean!" she finished as she flung her shoulders and waved her hand across the air.

The demonstration earned her a small laugh from Billie and Phoebe as it helped to relieve some tension and lighten the mood. Grams, who had remained completely quiet, finally piped in.

"Sorry, girls, but I do have to be getting back."

Phoebe, Paige, and Billie all turned to look at the woman. Before she orbed into an array of bright white lights, Penny materialized into her full form. She stepped forward, reaching out, and pulled Billie into a gentle hug. Although Billie felt awkward about it, she let it happen.

"It's good to have you back," proclaimed Grams. "And be well. All of you!" She said this as she looked to each of them, while stepping backwards. She blew a kiss in their direction and faded away back into the afterlife.

**ooooo**

Piper stood at the kitchen sink, rinsing the dishes that were used for dinner.

She had just finished feeding all three of the kids and was preparing to settle them down to sleep for the night. It had been a few hours since she had spoken to either of her sisters, or Billie for that matter. She felt completely disgusted with herself for taking her anger out on her sisters. The truth was they had been kept in the dark just like she had. They weren't responsible for keeping these secrets anymore than she had been. As she reflected on everything she had been through in the past eight years, she slammed one of the dishes into the drainer. It broke, slicing her hand in the process.

"Ouch, dammit!" she released, bringing her hand to her mouth. When she turned around to grab a small towel hanging over the handle of the stove, Leo happened to orb into the kitchen.

Leo made his way over to kiss his wife, but she turned away from him. He scrunched up his face in confusion. Was she still mad at him?

"What's the matter?" He took a step closer and noticed the blood seeping through the white towel covering her hand. "Hey, what happened?" he exclaimed softly. Leo reached out for her hand, his concern for her taking over immediately.

Piper sighed in frustration but she didn't pull her hand away. Leo removed the towel and allowed the white light to illuminate from his hand as he healed the deep gash embedded in his wife's palm. After he finished, he looked up into Piper's face trying to read her.

"At least having my powers back offers some type of reward," he tried to joke.

However, Piper didn't find the humor behind it. She turned around and walked away with her back towards him and then proceeded to wash down the kitchen table. Leo could sense that she was extremely agitated over something and made his own assumption as to what it was.

_She's still mad at me for not telling her._

"Look, Piper, I'm sorry I waited to tell you. But I knew you wanted to move on with a normal life and I just didn't know how to tell you. This really matters to me because it's given me a sense of purpose again. Something I haven't felt for awhile. But I shouldn't have kept you in the dark about it," he proclaimed.

"No you shouldn't have!" she turned on her husband. He had unintentionally provided her with an opening to vent all her pent up frustration. She balled up the washcloth in her hand, pitched it, and then watched as it hit the wall and fell to the floor.

Leo observed his wife's sudden outburst in surprise.

_She wasn't that angry about it, was she?_

Then Piper proceeded to verbally vent all those pent up frustrations at her husband. Her voice cracked and her eyes misted over.

"I'm just sick of the lies, Leo. All of them. They're going to get us killed. Do you know how hard I've tried? I've tried so hard these past five years to take Prue's place. I wanted to live up to her and become the big sister she use to be to us. But all for what? To measure up to some standard that probably never existed?"

Leo stood back listening quietly as his wife broke down. She brought her hands up to cover the front of her face while she began sobbing. She cried and pleaded for the answers to things she knew she would never get. Her husband rushed to her side and embraced her in his arms to offer some comfort.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, planting his face in the top of her head. He could smell the sweet after-scent from the shampoo she had used earlier, a scent of strawberries that permeated through her hair. Piper wasn't making any sense to Leo but he allowed her to vent amidst his swaying arms.

"Why did she have to die? I still don't understand what any of this had to do with our destiny. She was always there for me and I trusted her with everything. Why couldn't she trust me back? Both Mom and Grams have taken the time to visit us from the afterlife. It's been five years and where has she been all this time? Not once has she come back to see us or check up on us. I didn't understand it then and I don't understand it now. That's not what a big sister is suppose to do. It's not fair, any of it. Not for us and not for Billie."

"Wait, what does Billie have to do with any of this?" Leo prodded gently.

Piper pulled back out of Leo's arms slowly as she used the back of her hands to wipe at her eyes. She let out a small laugh and a sniffle before responding. "Oh, yeah, I forgot. You're way out of the loop."

"What loop?" asked Leo.

"Oh, well, didn't you hear?" Piper mocked. "Billie's the newest, long-lost Halliwell!"

"What?" Leo declared in surprise. "How is that even possible?" He shook his head.

"It's possible because apparently Prue had a little secret that none of us knew about," she explained, turning around to sit at the kitchen table and bringing her hands back up to cover the front of her face. Only this time it wasn't to cry; it was to sort out all of her rambling thoughts. "I guess she was more like mom than she ever cared to admit," came her muttered reply under her breath.

Leo was speechless but finally realized what had his wife so upset. She had been lied to and more than once. And even worse, the lies came from family members. Protecting family meant everything to Piper; therefore, being lied to by them could prove to be disastrous.

Piper sighed and continued in a calmer tone of voice. "You know, for a long time I got used to pretending that Prue never coming around just didn't bother me. After she died, Grams said we still had this destiny to continue on with and then Paige came along. So I did it. I made myself move forward so we could continue on as the Charmed Ones. I didn't want to feel those emotions I felt when I became a Fury ever again. These past five years I've had no choice but to remain strong because I became the oldest.

Leo nodded in understanding. "Sometimes we do what we need to so we can move on and survive. Phoebe and Paige couldn't have done any of it without you. You've done a great job, Piper. Prue would be proud."

A small, sad smile fell across Piper's lips. "Proud, huh? Well, I really do wish I could share that same sentiment about her right now. It would make things feel alot less confusing and complicated. Part of me right now feels like I never really even knew her. At least, not the way I thought I did. And Billie? I've spent these past six months trying to come to terms with what she did and it's been so hard. I don't hate her but Phoebe certainly has a bigger heart at offering forgiveness than I do. So to be honest, I'm really lost on how I'm suppose to deal with the truth about Billie. I never saw it coming."

Leo sighed and finally took a seat at the table with Piper. "Wow, I don't know what to say except I don't think anybody expected you to see this coming, Piper. There are some things that just fall out of our control. And we deal with them the best way we can when they come our way or when we're forced to be confronted by it."

"Yeah, well, Grams sure had plenty to say," remarked Piper, after listening to her husband's words of wisdom. "One of those things being that she cast a spell and made Prue forget about it. All in the name of protecting our destiny as the Charmed Ones. Which means, even if Prue wanted to confide in us later on, she wouldn't have been able to anyway," she reasoned reluctantly.

Leo remained silent and just continued to listen.

"And what's even worse is that I made a total ass out of myself in front of Billie. She probably thinks that I do hate her but that's not it," she admitted remorsefully.

"Why, what happened?" came Leo's question.

"Uh, well, I basically told Phoebe and Paige that I was done with the Power of Three and that they were on their own. All of them, including Billie. Which means, they've probably run off to the Underworld by themselves to get the demons," she answered.

Piper shook her head feeling like she was the stupidest sister in the world. What older sister or aunt for that matter, because up until now that title was reserved solely for Phoebe and Paige, allows her younger sisters and niece to run off and face demons working for the Triad without the Power of Three to back them up? Leo picked up on Piper's feelings of guilt and then he extended his hand in front of her.

"You know, I meant it when I said my powers could come in handy? All we need is their location and I'll orb you down there to help them," he offered.

Piper looked at his hand and smiled. They both stood up and then she placed her own hand in his as they orbed away.

**ooooo**

Paige, Phoebe, and Billie all orbed into the Underworld lair. As they looked around, they proceeded with caution. Before them stood a framed door made of metal steel. Ancient markings graced the entire outside perimeter of the door.

"Maybe this was a mistake," suggested Billie, nervously. "Maybe we should have waited for Piper."

"Sweetie, we didn't have time to wait," argued Phoebe. "We need to move on this while we have a location. Who knows when or if they'll change it again. Or if we'll be able to find it!"

"Yeah, just follow the instructions we gave you and we'll all make it out of this alive," added Paige, nodding her head. She handed Phoebe one of the vials she was holding while giving her the secret head-shake. Phoebe nodded in return, communicating back to her sister that she understood.

Phoebe and Paige both took a position on each side of the door while Billie approached it. "This is weird," she muttered while she observed the door standing directly in front of her. "It looks similar to the place they were keeping Christy before."

"Billie!" scolded Paige in a whisper. "Focus!"

"Right! I know, I know," she answered.

Billie took a deep breath, reached for the door knob, and turned it. _Yup, locked, _she thought. Just like they suspected. Well, duh! Of course it would be locked. Why would it be that easy? She brought her two hands up to the sides of her temple and began to concentrate really hard. She focused on projecting the reality of an unlocked door standing before them. This time when she reached, the door knob twisted and opened.

"Wah-lah!" Billie joked, turning on them with wide eyes and a smile of satisfaction.

"Good," Phoebe encouraged. She and Paige prepared themselves for the their next move.

Billie slowly slid the door open and peeked inside. "Christy?" she called out timidly. When she received no answer, she made her way further inside.

Phoebe and Paige followed closely behind. It was dark, too dark.

"Christy, are you in here?" she attempted a second time. "Please answer me. I need to know that you're okay." But still there was no answer.

Phoebe and Paige looked around nervously.

"Are we sure we have the right place?" Paige hissed back to Phoebe. "Because I don't see any demons anywhere."

They bolted their heads in front of them when they heard a grumbling sound coming from the back-end of the enclosed space. Slowly, all three women approached the back.

"Who's there?" came a groggy, mumbled response from the back.

Billie couldn't make out the voice but it just had to be Christy. She rushed forward in a hurry.

"Billie, wait!" came Phoebe's stern warning.

"Christy ... " Billie started but stopped when she took in the sight before her.

The person lying on the ground was anyone but Christy. Suddenly, the dark cavern lit up with torches providing light where there was once only darkness, startling all three women. The cavern was empty, all except for the one woman lying on the floor. At the same time the torches flamed to life, the door loudly screeched shut. A demonic laugh could be heard from the outside.

Phoebe panicked. "Oh my god, Paige the door!" she hollered.

Paige ran to it but it was locked. She pounded on the door with shouts of _hey_. Then she tried to orb herself out of the cavern, but was bounced back landing flat on her butt.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed.

Phoebe ran over to her to help her off the ground. "I can not believe we just fell for this!" declared Phoebe. "It was a freaking trap!"

"And this place must be sealed off from using any magic," surmised Paige, while brushing herself off.

"Guys, I think you should come over here!" called Billie.

Billie's voice caught the attention of both sisters who walked over to stand beside her. She was leaning over the unknown woman, trying to make out how bad her injuries were.

"Do you think she's okay?" Billie asked with concern. "I mean, whoever she is."

There, lying on the ground, was a woman clad in a t-shirt and a pair of navy blue jeans. The white shirt and blue jeans were now covered in a dusty mist, no doubt because of the dirty ground floor. She had scratches up and down the sides of her arms. Her long, raven-colored hair covered her face. Suddenly, feeling alarmed by the voices surrounding her, she bolted upright. Her reaction caused Billie and both of the sisters to jump back.

"Who are you?" the woman demanded to know, while backing herself up against the wall, and taking in the three faces standing before her.

When the woman's hair swayed away from her face, it took both Phoebe and Paige a moment to register belief. Paige blinked in rapid succession, shut her eyes tightly, and then reopened them only to come face to face with who she now knew she was staring at. But it was impossible. How could this be?

Phoebe stared. She couldn't move, she was absolutely frozen in place. Her blood ran cold and her heart continued to beat in a rapid pattern. Then without warning, she fainted, passing out on the ground floor. Paige rushed to her aid while the woman stood back in the shadows, a widespread look of confusion crossing her features at the scene before her.

It was Prue.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Okay, I got this chapter done a little bit sooner than I had anticipated. Initially, I had other plans in mind for the ending but this just seemed to fit way better. And don't worry, there will be a slight explanation to show how Prue came to be where she is. Darryl will still have a small role before he starts to fade out of the story and it's Piper to the rescue after she learns the big secret. **lol ... **So stay tuned.


	11. Ultimate Power Revealed

**:o) Jedi Alanna**, actually, Gideon's not dead, remember?

He's been working with Lana (the Triad daughter whom everyone believed to be Christy). He's the unknown Triad member that the sisters are trying to find. Basically, I only briefly touched upon how he became a member by offering to trade Molly's powers to Dumain and the Triad, so Lana could use them to help Billie destroy the Charmed Ones. I do plan on giving you guys/gals a small background that explains how Gideon is still alive, I'm just waiting to include that during the right point in the story.

Sorry, if I made that confusing for any of you but the Gideon I introduced in my story is the same Elder from the show. It's just that in my story, he's really not dead. And he's a demon now. **lol**

Also, Gideon's an important factor, here, because he's linked to why and how Prue left in the first place. And how he knew where to find Molly in order to have her kidnapped. So was Prue really dead? I'm not going to tell. LOL, not yet anyways. But soon, like maybe next chapter.

**PH2W**: Thank you. I take your words as a very high compliment. It can be a daunting task at times trying to figure out how to make the characters sound and act just right. I'm honored that you think I portray them in a way that lives up to the wonderful actresses/actors that portrayed them. **:o)**

Welcome to my new reviewers. It's really good to have you both on board.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Ultimate Power Revealed**

**(New York) _Two Days Ago..._**

Prue kicked her shoes off as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

She felt exhaustion coarse through her entire body after spending all that time in the hospital. Her limbs ached from trying to sleep in a chair three nights in a row. However, the good news was that they finally released her husband but his release was accompanied by strict doctor's orders to take it easy over the next week. And to get lots of rest.

Captain Morris had insisted there be an official inspection of their apartment before allowing them back home. She had agreed to it, if only to keep him off her back and to prevent him from exposing her secret. However, she was still confused on what to make of him. He still hadn't approached her regarding what she was positive he had seen. And yet, she didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. But the problem with keeping it quiet was that he sounded like he might have answers that she needed. Especially if those answers could help her get Molly back. So now the only question was how would she go about getting them?

As Prue was preparing to lie down on the bed for some much needed rest, her cell phone rang. She reached over to grab it off her nightstand. "Hello," she answered, feeling utterly exhausted, and throwing her head back against the pillow. She really just wanted to sleep and not talk to anybody. And because she felt so tired, she didn't even bother to check the caller ID before answering.

"Prue? This is Darryl. We really need to talk," came the hurried response. "Do you think you can meet me by that old abandoned building just before the precinct in about twenty minutes?"

_Prue? Why do people keep calling me that? _

She turned her head to look at the alarm clock which read eight o'clock in the evening. "Captain Morris? Um, look, I'm sorry but I think you've got the wrong person. This is Marie, remember? My husband works with you now? And, besides, I'm not going anywhere this late," she replied sternly.

"Look, Prue," came his harsh response. "I'm not joking around here. This is serious. You may not remember who you are but others do. I need to talk to you! And the sooner the better."

Prue released an agitated groan. However, she acknowledged this was a conversation that needed to take place sooner or later; therefore, it was much better to just get it over with. "Can't it at least wait until tomorrow morning?" she tried compromising. "It's late, it's dark, and I'm not roaming around the city by myself, at night, looking for some abandoned building I've never seen before. How about 7:30 before you go to work?"

"Fine!" he relented. "But come alone. What we have to discuss is something you don't want others to hear. Trust me!" Then he abruptly hung up the phone.

_Okay, talk about rude. He hung up right in my ear! _

Her quizzical expression was directed at the cell phone in her hand for several seconds. Prue just brushed it off as she let herself slip into a deep sleep. She was so tired that she didn't even get the chance to change out of her clothes but she didn't care.

**ooooo**

_**UnderWorld ... Two days ago**_

"Why have I been summoned here?" Lana demanded in her usual haughty tone. "This is ruining my plans for Billie and the Charmed Ones!"

A demonic guardsman remained completely silent as he led her through parts of the Underworld she had never seen before. They passed by numerous chambers against the stone-like walls made from gravel. At the end of the narrow walkway, they encountered a hidden passage way. It's entrance was hidden within the gravel because the stone walls surrounding it provided a camouflage effect. As the door in the wall parted to reveal an opening, the guardsman stepped back allowing Lana room to enter.

"Aren't you coming?" she demanded to know.

"No!" replied the guardsman. "I am allowed no further!" He turned around to guard the entry point.

As Lana walked inside, the entrance sealed itself off behind her. While she continued to walk forward, she was greeted by the sight of four men in robes. Three of the men stood inside the center of a circle, deep in trance. The fourth man in robe was no doubt Gideon and he stood off to the side. She immediately recognized the others as the rest of the Triad. She released a smirk.

_Finally! We are at a complete resurrection._

Lana stopped in front of the circle and slightly bowed her head to demonstrate both a show of respect and obedience as a lower-ranking member. At the sound of her voice, all three members of the Triad opened their eyes to look upon her.

"My fellow lords," she greeted them.

"Lana!" the FIRST Triad addressed her, getting right to the point as to why they summoned her here. "There has been a change of plans where you are concerned!"

Looking to Gideon and then back to the others again, she felt a nervous sensation flow throughout her body. Gideon smirked in her direction before she rewarded him with an evil glare.

"What is this about my lords?" she demanded to know. _So help Gideon if he's behind getting rid of me, _she thought.

The SECOND Triad member, immediately sensing where Lana's concerns now lied, interjected. "Don't become testy, Lana! We have no plans to rid ourselves of you!" he replied.

"But we do intend to alter our plans," added the THIRD Triad. "It has just come to our attention that Dumain was mistaken about the Ultimate Power. It appears that it wasn't Billie after all!" He managed to produce a glare in Gideon's direction while saying this.

"Yes, and it also appears that Gideon wasn't as forthcoming with us as he should have been," sneered the SECOND Triad.

Gideon smirked and responded. "Ah, yes, but then what use would that have been to me? You never would have initiated me into the Triad collective if I had told you from the beginning that the other Charmed sister was still alive. And that she, combined with her three sisters, make up the Ultimate Power!"

"Yes, but now we've wasted too much time on a plan that was doomed to fail!" hollered the the THIRD Triad.

"Your plan could have worked! It almost did!" Gideon shouted back. "I provided you with the little girl's power so you could match it up with Billie's. You had Charmed power sitting right in the palm of your hand!"

"Still, it wasn't enough," interjected the SECOND Triad. "All we managed to do was match up Charmed Power against Charmed Power in the Ultimate Battle. Even with the Hollow, it was too evenly matched."

"But still, by using the Charmed Ones own power base against them, you came closer to defeating them than any other demon before you has come. They didn't even see it coming because we used their next generation against them!" defended Gideon.

"Close isn't good enough!" yelled the the THIRD Triad for the second time.

"ENOUGH!" yelled the FIRST Triad putting an end to the whole debate.

Up until now, he had remained quiet, listening to what each member pointed out. Silence ensued before he continued.

"The point is that our focus in now in a new direction. We will now direct our energy into acquiring the Ultimate Power for ourselves instead of just using it to destroy the Charmed Ones. With that kind of power we will be eternally unstoppable. Then, after we acquire it, we will kill all of the sisters and focus on thwarting their next generation with Pandora's Box."

"And how do we plan on doing that?" inquired Lana, who was standing quietly by on the sidelines.

"By capturing the sisters and bringing them here," explained the FIRST Triad. "And Gideon knows which sister to start with, don't you Gideon?"

"Then the rest of the sisters should just follow suit!" added the THIRD Triad.

"How?" asked Lana.

"Well, when the sisters scry, they'll think they're coming for you and the shape-shifter. Like you originally planned, Lana. Only now, they won't be. The shape-shifter will be assisting Gideon in his task instead, while we'll be leading them straight into a trap," offered the SECOND Triad.

"With their long-lost sister as the bait!" concluded the FIRST Triad member.

**ooooo**

Prue made her way down the busy side-walk, as morning rays hit the top of her head, causing the highlights hidden in her raven hair to shine and stand out.

Tons of people were hustling to get to their jobs on time while other passersby appeared to be college students making their way to their morning classes. She had thrown on a pair of navy blue jeans and a white t-shirt before leaving the apartment earlier this morning. This meeting wasn't scheduled to take place until 7:30; however, she left around six to grab some breakfast at a local cafe and to take some time to think about what she even wanted to say. Michael had still been sleeping when she left and she debated whether or not to tell him. In the end, she settled on leaving him a note just so he wouldn't panic when he woke up and found her gone. Of course, the details of the letter were mostly a lie.

As she approached what she believed to be the abandoned building Darryl was referring to, she stopped and took a closer look at it. The front entrance appeared to be blocked off with no conceivable way to get inside. However, when she turned her head, she noticed the small, slender alleyway that graced the side of the building. She hesitated.

_Okay, this is getting too creepy, I'm not so sure I really want to go down there. _

Then, after looking around, she decided to relent.

_Ah, just suck it up. At least the police precinct is only a few buildings down. I really need to know what is going on here._

Prue proceeded to walk down the alleyway very slowly, while attempting to locate some type of side entrance before she reached the back of the building. Near the back of the alleyway, a black dumpster was positioned against a fence.

"Hello?" she shouted, looking around. "Captain Morris? Are you here?"

At the sudden sound of approaching footsteps from behind, she bolted around only to come face to face with two men. One of them looked like Captain Morris but the other man she didn't recognize.

"Who are you?" came her immediate inquiry.

**ooooo**

It was just around 7:30 as Andy entered the New York Precinct, the place where he was now assigned to work. The doctor had instructed him to rest over the course of the next week but he needed to be doing something. Anything. He felt restless with the idea of sitting around the house doing nothing all day.

Andy had awoken to find his wife gone and a note beside his pillow. She had let him know that his Captain had ID'ed a suspect from the break-in and assault, that he knew the location, and that she was meeting him there. Actually, to be truthful, the information his wife relayed in the note disturbed him because that type of identification was highly irregular. A potential witness is almost always brought to a precinct to ID a suspect. They are usually never brought to a location where a suspect might be apprehended.

As he pulled his jacket off, and swung it over the back of his chair, Captain Morris exited his own office. Noticing Andy at his desk, he took in a deep breath, and walked over to him. Darryl still felt very conflicted about keeping the truth from him after what had happened, but he was determined to have his conversation with one of the sisters first. But he honestly didn't know how much longer he could hold out. He walked up behind Andy, patting him on the back.

"Hey, Michael. I didn't expect to see you here today. And early too. Shouldn't you be at home resting or something?"

It felt weird for him to be referring to his old partner by the name of _Michael_. Darryl watched as a peculiar, questioning glance crossed over Andy's features.

"What's the matter, man? You alright?" Darryl asked full of concern.

"Uh," Andy stuttered, looking to his desk, and then back up to his Captain before continuing. "Weren't you suppose to be meeting my wife right about now?" he asked, glancing down at his wrist-watch. His question was followed by a nervous laugh.

_Uh-Oh, _came Darryl's immediate thought. "Um, no, where did you get that idea?" he asked in all seriousness while shaking his head.

Andy pulled out the letter from his side pocket.

_Damn it, I knew something was off! _

He slammed the letter down on his desk for his Captain to read. "That's where I got the idea from!" he exclaimed while pointing.

As Darryl picked up the note to read its contents, Andy grabbed for his jacket and the holster holding his gun. He headed for the exit in a hurry with Darryl hot on his trail.

"Whoa, where are you going, buddy?" The last thing he wanted was for Andy to go and get himself killed. Again.

"I'm going exactly where that letter says she was going," replied Andy, exiting the precinct in a hurry, with Darryl still following closely behind him.

**ooooo**

Prue remained in her position, waiting for the strange man to answer her question.

"I said who are you?" she demanded a second time, in a much firmer tone of voice. Then she turned to address the man who looked exactly like Darryl. "And I thought you said to come alone?!" she challenged.

"I did!" the shape-shifter, looking like Darryl, sneered. Then he laughed. "I asked YOU to come alone. Which you did by the way, so I thank you very much."

Prue took a few steps backwards. What the hell was going on?

"Well, well!" chided Gideon, as he slowly approached the woman before him. "It's been a long time since we've last seen each other, Prue."

Prue continued to back up as the two men advanced on her. All of her senses screamed to her that something was definitely wrong.

_Dammit. Now would be a really great time to be able to send someone flying on their ass!_

Gideon's features turned dark as he spoke his next words. "And, of course, I do realize that I was one of the many Elders that promised you this wonderful new life with Andy but I'm afraid I'm going to have to renege on that little deal," Gideon wailed his arms around in the air, dramatically, as he spoke each word. "Sorry. I hope there are no hard feelings."

Prue concentrated really hard as she tried to will herself to move the men standing before her as far away from her as possible. She used her arm and moved it in a swift swaying motion. But nothing happened. Gideon, realizing what she was trying to accomplish, stopped advancing on her and let out a laugh.

"I must admit, I've always admired that unwavering determination of yours. You never give up do you? But, unfortunately, that's not going to save you this time," he snidely remarked.

_Come on, come on. Do it!_

Suddenly, she felt that all too familiar energy that burned to be released from inside of her. "Admire this!" she directed and just as Gideon was about to reach out for her, both men were lifted off of their feet and into the air, both landing on the ground.

_Ha! It's about damn time!_

Prue went to run past them but became distracted by the two men who were turning the corner. They were beginning to make their way down the alleyway when she recognized both of them immediately. "Michael," she muttered. Confusion spread over her face when she saw another Darryl with him.

"Marie!" Andy shouted, making out his wife standing with the two men getting up from the ground. He reached for his gun as he ran down the alleyway.

Unfortunately, Prue was distracted just long enough for Gideon to make his move. With her back turned towards him, he lifted his hand and released an energy ball that carried just enough voltage to knock her out, but not kill her. As the energy ball hit her in the back, she slumped to the ground unconscious.

"No!" Andy yelled, witnessing his wife slumping to ground. He had seen the man generate some form of energy from the palm of his hand and throw it at her. At the same time, the other man resembling Darryl, arose from the ground with a fireball in hand.

_What the hell, _came his thought as he witnessed the Darryl look-a-like advancing on him. Andy aimed the gun at him and fired multiple rounds, but the man took each bullet without faltering. Then he released the fireball in Andy's direction.

"Andy, no! Get down!" exclaimed Captain Morris as he pushed Andy to the ground from behind.

The fire just passed over their heads and hit the side of the adjacent building. However, just as both of them impacted the ground, the shape-shifter disintegrated into a pile of dust. Looking up, both Darryl and Andy noticed that the other man had been the one responsible for killing him. In a flash, he latched onto an unconscious Prue and vanished below the surface.

"Marie!" Andy hollered one last time in vain. Then, turning on Darryl, he demanded an answer. "What the hell just happened? And who the hell is Andy?"

Darryl looked to the ground, shaking his head. All that he was left with were his own regrets for not telling them the truth sooner. Now Prue was in danger and there was only one thing left to do. Tell Andy the truth and hope that he listens. Because they needed to get to the sisters and fast.

"You, buddy!" came the answer to his former partner's question.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **okay, this chapter was a little bit shorter but it was meant to take you back to show you how Prue came to be in the Underworld. The next chapter will pick back up in the present. **:o) **


	12. We Sisters FOUR?

**Disclaimer: **Certain quotes are taken directly from the season three episode, **All Hell Breaks Loose**, and are being borrowed for this chapter. No infringement intended.

**IDontBreakBonesJustHearts: **Wow, I'm honored that you find my story really good to read. This is my first fan-fiction ever, lol, so that's a very high compliment. Thank you for taking the time to read and review. **:o)**

* * *

**Chapter 11: We Sisters ... FOUR?**

_**Present**_

Piper and Leo orbed back into the manor, both feeling slightly nervous and a bit perplexed. They had just returned from the Underworld where they had encountered no signs of Phoebe, Paige, or Billie anywhere.

"Leo, they should have been there!" exclaimed Piper. "I know that's the location we came up with after we scried!"

"Well, maybe they scried again and the location changed," he suggested, shrugging his shoulders in the air. Although, he was having his own doubts. He had tried using his sensing abilities to grab a location while they were down there but he picked up on nothing. And that had him worried.

Piper shook her head. "No, no. Something's got to be wrong." She paused before continuing. "Dammit!" she berated herself out loud. "What was I thinking letting them go off on their own like that?"

"Piper, calm down," Leo soothed. "We don't know for sure that they're in any trouble."

Piper was about to argue against him when a flutter of blue and white orbs settled into the manor. As this caught their immediate attention, they turned around and walked in the direction of the orbs. There, in the center of the Halliwell living room, materialized Dimitri flanked by two senior- looking Elders.

"Dimitri?" Leo addressed one of the men. "What are you doing here?" Leo caught the solemn expression on his face. _Uh-Oh! This can't be good, _he presumed. Leo looked to the other two Elders, whose faces remained stoic and unreadable.

"Leo?" Dimitri began in an unsteady voice. "You and Piper may want to sit down for this. What we have to tell you is very serious."

Piper's heart was racing and she remained speechless. Her only thoughts, at the present time, were to plead with the universe that this had nothing to do with Billie or her sisters.

**ooooo**

Phoebe's eyes fluttered back open, her sight taking in the bleak surroundings above her. She could make out a voice somewhere in the distance as she tried to gather her senses in order. Was that Paige? Where the heck where they, anyway? Then suddenly it hit her like a ton of bricks.

_Oh, that's right. We're demon fodder! _

She brought one hand up against her forehead. But, wait! There was something else. Something she thought she had seen. No, it was someone she thought she had seen.

"Oh my god, Prue!" Phoebe exclaimed, bolting upright.

Had she been hallucinating right before she passed out? Nope. Because when she looked up, and over a few feet in front of her, stood the woman she had come face-to-face with. A woman who was identical to her dead sister. But how could this be? Almost instantly, Phoebe was on her feet rushing towards the woman. She could feel Paige trying to pull her back and she heard her words of protest somewhere in the recesses of her mind but she didn't let that stop her. She wouldn't let that stop her.

"No, Phoebe, wait!" hissed Paige through clenched teeth.

But it was too late. Phoebe threw herself at the woman, squeezing her within the tightest embrace she had ever given anybody. As words mixed in with the sounds of sobbing, all Billie and Paige could do was stand by on the sidelines and watch.

"Prue, oh my god, I can't believe it's you! I've missed you so much, we've missed you so much," she corrected. "There's just so much I want to say. And I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. All of it! I never should have left you and Piper alone. Shax wouldn't have gotten to you if I had been there," she vented through her heart-wrenching sobs.

Phoebe had carried alot of guilt since that day. It was a feeling she had learned to suppress through the years but every now and then it would resurface. Prue just stood motionless, her eyes bulging accompanied by a feeling of pure shock, as the woman suffocated her inside of the most demonstrative embrace while pouring her heart out in the process. She had absolutely no idea who this woman was or what she was crying about. However, because of the sorrowful sound that was laced together with the woman's emotionally powerful confession, she just didn't have the heart to push her away. So she accepted the embrace before slowly backing out of it.

Paige watched the emotional scene before her and felt a tinge of jealousy creep into her. And she didn't mean to feel that way honestly, but when she thought about Phoebe and Piper not once had they ever shown that much emotion over her welfare. Not in all the years they fought demons together or during the times she had come close to losing her own life. But just as quickly as the jealousy had made it's way in, so did the feelings of guilt.

_That's really not fair of me. They actually lost Prue. And they were emotionally dependent on her for years. Way before I ever came along._

Billie also stood watching the scene, her arms crossed together.

Honestly, she felt numb. Why? Because it had only been a few, short hours ago that she found out the truth. Which was that she was part of a magical dynasty that all demons sought to annihilate. And unbeknowest to her at the time, it was the same magical family she had spent over a year training with. Then thanks to her new found heritage, the Power of Three went on a permanent hiatus less than a few hours ago. That was great, just what the magical community needed. And if that wasn't bad enough, because she couldn't keep her emotions in check, she led them all into this stupid trap. Ironically, a trap which just led her to someone presumed to be a dead mother she had never known. So she had no idea how to react. What was she even suppose to say to this woman?

_Oh hi, I know you don't know me or anything but I just happen to be the daughter you don't remember having? Uh, yeah, right. That would go over real well._ _And considering her current state of mind and the reaction she just had to Phoebe, I don't think I'm up to giving the woman a heart attack. That would really make my year after both Christy and my parents._

Prue maneuvered her way out of the woman's embrace as gently as possible. Then she pulled back while trying not to outright offend the woman hovering in front of her. "Uh, look, obviously you're very upset and I'm sorry about that. But there's been some kind of misunderstanding here," she corrected as gently as possible. "I'm not who you seem to think I am."

Although, in truth, Prue doubted her own words when they left her mouth because she wasn't so sure about that anymore. There was no way that this was just another coincidence. Too many people had now mistaken her for this _Prue_. Phoebe wore a mask of utter confusion after the words were spoken. She shook her head and used her shirt sleeve to wipe the tears from underneath her eyes. She couldn't take her eyes off of the woman she hadn't seen in over five years.

"What are you talking about? Of course you are!" Phoebe stubbornly insisted.

"No, I'm not!" Prue denied.

At that very same moment, Paige rushed forward to pull Phoebe back by her arm. And she flashed Prue a quick smile. "Um, sorry about that, but would you excuse us for a minute?" she addressed Prue.

Prue nodded in response as Paige whispered against Phoebe's ear.

"That's what I was trying to tell you! I don't think she knows who she is," Paige informed her. Phoebe stared back at the woman she believed to be Prue.

"How do you know that?" inquired Phoebe.

Billie, overhearing the question, walked over to stand with them and huddled between both sisters. "Because the whole twenty minutes you were out, she kept insisting she was this Marie," she interjected in a whisper. "And she has no idea where she is or how she got here."

"Do you think the demons did this to her? She's had to be alive this whole time but I don't understand how. How could we have not known she was down here?" Phoebe gasped, while shaking her head in disbelief.

Prue rolled her eyes, in response to the other three women, while she paced the length of the back wall. They were trying to remain discreet in their discussion; however, she could still make out some of what they were saying and she knew it was about her. After all, it's not like they were sharing spacious, quarters that offered luxurious living accommodations.

"Um, excuse me? You do realize that I'm practically standing right here in front of you, don't you? And that I can hear everything you're saying?" she finally decided to chide in. "So if there's something you want to know why don't you just go ahead and ask me?"

Mumbles and grunts of _sorry_ could be made out as all the women became prisoners to an eerie, uncomfortable silence.

**ooooo**

After the sudden arrival of their guests, Leo made his way over to sit on the living room couch. However, Piper made the decision to remain standing. There was no way she could sit and relax when she felt this much on edge.

"I don't want to sit, so just spill it!" she demanded in an anxious manner. Piper couldn't handle the suspense. "Did something happen to my sisters? Or Billie? Because we need to find them now, I know they're in some kind of trouble."

"Well, what we have to say does involve them," Dimitri began before the much older-looking Elder took over the conversation.

"Look, we don't have much time here, so I'm going to get straight to the point," the other Elder replied in a stern manner. "We have it on good authority that the Triad is back again and they're about to make their move for the Ultimate Power. If they succeed, evil will be unstoppable and the balance between good and evil will be thrown out of alignment. Permanently."

"Okay, so what would you like us to do about it?" demanded Piper, feeling irritated. "The Power of Three doesn't have the power to stop them. They're unvanquishable. And we don't even know what this Ultimate Power is. Let alone who."

All three Elders looked to each other conspicuously, before they continued. Piper watched the hidden expression pass between the three men before speaking up.

"Okay! Hold it! What else is going on here?" she interrogated. Her suspicions were rising.

Dimitri was the first to respond. "Piper, the Power of Three may not be able to stop them ..." and then he hesitated before he finished. "But the Power of Four can."

Piper scrunched up her face in confusion. "What Power of Four? There's no such thing!" she insisted. She then turned to Leo to address him. "Leo? Tell him there's no such thing."

Leo was now on his feet, making his way over to stand beside his wife, while shaking his head in response to her question. His own look of confusion was plastered across his face as he attempted to figure out what this revelation might mean. Suddenly, he thought back to his discussion with Dimitri at the Magic School less than a few hours ago. The one that brought up Paige and Prue. One unbelievable thought entered his mind. But how could that be? As this news registered, he contemplated how his wife would handle the shock.

Piper turned back to address all the Elders. "Because you know what? Whoever they are, if they want our job they can gladly have it!" she tried to joke.

"Piper, it's you. You and your sisters are the Ultimate Power," Dimitri informed her as gently as possible. "All four of you."

There was a touch of sadness in the young Elder's voice because he felt a sudden empathetic pull towards the young woman before him. He hadn't been around long enough to know the full extent of everything that had happened in the past years but he did understand that everything that was about to be revealed would be an emotional blow for everyone involved.

Piper stood speechless as she carefully absorbed the Elder's words.

"Whoa! Wait a minute here!" she laughed in disbelief. "Maybe all you guys are suffering from a classic case of visual impairment these days, because the last time I checked there were only three of us. So what the hell are you all going on about?"

"Your sister is still alive, Piper," interjected the third Elder. The other man that had accompanied Dimitri and the second Elder to the manor. "That's what all this is about!" Up until now, he had remained fairly quiet but he saw no point in delaying the inevitable.

It actually took a few moments for Piper to register what the Elder seemed to be implying. But, finally, it did and her response was to play ignorant for as long as humanly possible. Because that way she could put off confronting a harsh and hurtful truth even if it was only for a few more minutes.

"What sister are you talking about? Because my sister better be alive. Both of them for that matter."

But deep down inside, she knew the real answer. She knew the answer and she dreaded its confirmation. Because confirmation would just add to the list of lies compiling from the many years of pain and suffering. The years she spent mourning for a lost sister combined with the anger she felt at being abandoned by the one person she had depended on most of her life. How could any of this be happening?

"Prue," confirmed Dimitri.

And there the confirmation was. It was official.

Piper closed her eyes as she felt herself grow faint. Thank god Leo was standing right beside her because she reached out to hold onto him for support. Emotional and physical support. And he didn't disappoint her. Very willingly, he was prepared to reach out and steady her. Then she began shaking her head to gather her thoughts before reopening her eyes to face the men before her.

"No!" came the denial. "Are you honestly trying to tell me that Prue's alive?" she questioned in disbelief. "I don't believe you!"

Piper looked each Elder straight in the eye while holding firmly to her declaration.

"It's true, Piper. Your sister has been alive this entire time. Only, at the moment, she has no memory of her former life. Her Charmed life. And she doesn't remember who she really is but we need to fix that before it's too late!" the second Elder reinforced.

"How? Why?" she demanded to know in a shaky voice. She fought to keep the tears from surfacing. There were only so many secrets a person could handle in one day.

Dimitri bowed his head down and allowed the senior Elders to take it from there. After all, he had only been told the truth and asked to come along because of his recent, work-related connection to Leo. They figured it might help to soften the blow. However, the second reason was because this part of the story is where the other Elders were directly involved, not he. And it was the part he feared would be the most heartbreaking for Piper to have to hear.

Leo also decided to speak up. "What I don't understand is how any of this is possible?" he announced, coming to his wife's defense. "I was there the day she died. I'm the one who couldn't heal her!"

Leo carried alot of guilt on his own shoulders regarding Prue's death. Not only was she the first charge he had lost, she had also been family. So it had been a double blow for Leo to overcome. And now, he was hearing that it had all been a lie? He started to feel his own anger boil.

"That's because you can't heal an illusion," one of the Elders informed them with a stone cold tone. He sounded void of any emotion and it was his blase attitude regarding the seriousness of the situation that was starting to piss Piper off.

"Uh-huh! And you would be?" Piper demanded to know for the first time. She threw him her best, harsh, cold glare.

"My name is Emeritus. I was one of the Elders who sat upon our council and decided your sister's fate. Although, I was not the head of the council at the time. That role was delegated to Gideon."

Both Piper and Leo felt an involuntary shudder pass through their bodies at the mention of Gideon. Unfortunately, at the same time, Leo also felt his anger rising even closer to the surface just begging to be let out. Gideon was a topic that was off limits for him.

"Gideon? What the hell does Gideon have to do with this?" Leo demanded to know, while desperately trying to keep his temper in check. Then he shook his head, laughing sardonically. "But why am I not surprised," he added more for his own benefit rather than the other Elders.

"Now, Leo," the Elder admonished. "I realize that you and Gideon had your differences in the past but he wasn't wrong about everything!"

Leo finally lost his temper.

"Differences? The man tried to murder my son! He killed my other son from the future. And now you're here telling me that he's behind faking Prue's death too? What side are you guys on anyway?

Piper reached out in an effort to calm her husband.

"Honey, honey," she soothed, while rubbing his arm gently. "I'm mad about it too, but this isn't going to get us anywhere," she tried to reason.

He managed to relax slightly at the warmth emanating from her touch. And in a steady, firm tone Piper readdressed the Elder.

"Look! Gideon's dead now and I hold absolutely no regrets about it. So, whatever it is he did, we're all just going to have to deal with it. But so help me god if I have to stand here and hear you say that faking Prue's death was for the greater good!" The words passing through Piper's lips were laced with venom and she glared at the Elder almost daring him to say it.

"Gideon may have done what he thought was for the greater good at the time, but in the end it was your sister who agreed to it!" informed Emeritus, void of any emotion whatsoever.

"Excuse me?" came Piper's response. She hadn't been expecting that come back.

**ooooo**

Prue stood in front of the chamber door, examining every inch and detail of it. Using her fingers, she ran them up and down the side, looking for any sign of weakness that could offer some hope of an escape.

"There has got to be a way out of here!" she stubbornly persisted.

Phoebe, Paige, and Billie were all resting against the wall. They had all given up hope quite some time ago once they had realized using magic was out of the picture. Essentially, their only hope now lied with Piper. But the big question was, how soon would she figure out something was wrong and try to find them?

"Yeah, well, forget it!" Billie piped up in reply to Prue's response. "If magic can't even save us from this literal hell hole, then ... " but she let her sentence trail off as both Paige and Phoebe turned in her direction, casting her a stern look. A look that screamed for her to just shut-up.

Prue turned around and looked at Billie after analyzing her choice of words. Magic? Okay, so maybe she wasn't the only freak that existed out there after all? She began to wonder if her ability to perform her little sideshow trick that night is what had gotten her into this mess. So the question was, what exactly did they want with these other three women? The same thing?

"Hey, come on now," defended Billie, in a good-natured manner. "If she doesn't know about the magic already, it's not like she won't eventually?"

"Oh, Billie, that's not the point!" Phoebe sighed, while rolling her eyes and placing her head back against the wall.

"Well, then, what is?" argued Billie.

"The point is that we want to be sure," hissed Paige in a whisper.

Billie cast them a look of confusion while Prue just listened, shook her head, and rolled her own eyes before interjecting on the debating session that was clearly being held in her honor. It was actually kind of entertaining to listen to if she wasn't so preoccupied with trying to find a way out of here.

"HEY! Relax," Prue conceded with the three woman. "I get it, okay? You know, the whole magical, hocus pocus deal? Now, can we just put our heads together to try and find a way out of here. Please?"

"See?" Bille shrugged her shoulders with amusement edged in her voice.

Phoebe and Paige just turned to look at each other. It was something they had been forced to consider, begrudgingly on Phoebe's end, but still it had to be considered nevertheless. And that was the possibility that the woman standing before them was the shape-shifter. The same demonic shape-shifter responsible for invading their attic that night and abducting Christy. Or at least, who they had believed to be Christy at the time but now suspected of being another shape-shifter. Because what better way to pull them into a much deeper trap, then to use their own dead sister against them. After all, they had already accomplished that feat with Billie.

"Okay. So how is it that she remembers magic but not who she is?" whispered Paige to Phoebe.

Phoebe shrugged her shoulders in response, not knowing what else to say. It did make this woman look and sound suspicious, so she concluded that it was now or never. Before she completely chickened out of doing it. Slowly, she pulled out one of vials from her side pocket for Paige to view. Paige nodded her head in understanding as they prepared to do what they needed to do.

Prue was distracted and started banging on the door. "Hey! Anybody out there? Hellooo? Look, we could really really use a bathroom break in here?"

"Shut-up, WITCH!" came a demon's reply.

"Ooh, somebody woke up on the wrong side of hell this morning," mocked Prue with her witty sarcasm.

"Wow. I guess he sure told you!" Billie tried joking with a power-salute from her fist.

Prue turned around and cracked a smirk, in the young girl's direction, at her humorous attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

"Now!" shouted Paige.

At the sound of Paige's yell, both Prue and Billie turned their attention in the same direction as potion vials left the hands of both Phoebe and Paige and headed in Prue's direction. As they impacted her, she lit up in a pile of red dust and went into an immediate coughing frenzy. Desperately, she tried to wave the dust away from her face.

"What the hell was that for?" Prue demanded to know.

A hurt look spread across Billie's face, while Phoebe jumped up excitedly. She made a dash for Prue again. And when she reached her, she embraced her in the second biggest hug of the day.

"Oh, thank god!" she announced. "You're not a demon!"

Prue pushed herself off of her, while brushing her clothes free from the red, powdery dust. She was still coughing. "Of course I'm not a demon! Where did you get that inane idea from?" She made it a point to stress the word, _inane._

"Well, I, uh," Phoebe stuttered not knowing what to say to her.

"Yeah, where did you get the idea from?" Billie demanded, her arms now crossed in a defensive posture.

Up until now, Billie hadn't even known that her two, newly discovered aunts had brought any potion vials along with them. But what bothered her more then that was that there had been two. Not one, but two. Which meant, if the first one was intended for the shape-shifter, who was the second one meant for? Christy? Prue, Phoebe, and Paige all turned to look at Billie who stood apart from them. Prue didn't understand why the young girl suddenly looked so upset but both of the other two women there with them appeared to have an idea.

Phoebe slowly walked over to Billie. "Uh, sweetie, listen ..." but she was interrupted by Billie.

"One of those bottles was going to be for Christy. Wasn't it?" she demanded to know, getting straight to the point of what had her feeling on edge. Why had they kept it a secret from her?

"Yes. But it wasn't going to hurt her," defended Phoebe. "It was just a test. So we'd know whether or not we were dealing with demons."

"Yeah. And if the potion did what it had done just now, we would have been sure she was human. That's all!" added Paige. She was now walking towards Billie. "And with shape-shifting demons changing to and from her form, it doesn't hurt to be too careful."

Billie shook her head, still feeling hurt that they had decided to deliberately keep her out of the loop. "Okay, so then why didn't you guys just tell me that? I don't understand. Why the big secret?"

Phoebe sighed before responding with the inevitable truth. She glanced over at Paige. _No more secrets, _she thought. Besides, Billie needed to be made aware of the truth. Which was that her sister was more than likely dead. "Because, Billie, we know how much finding Christy has meant to you. And we didn't want you to get hurt. Not again and not after everything," supplied Phoebe.

Paige decided to jump in and support her sister in the truth.

"Look, Billie, it's not that we didn't trust you. It's just that we think we're better equipped to handle this emotionally. Especially, since ..." and Paige looked to Phoebe one last time before continuing. "We think Christy may have been dead long before you even came looking for her last year."

"And the Christy who came back to you at your parents house a couple weeks ago, was another demon just like the shape-shifter in our attic. And just like the one you probably vanquished this year. We think they're all shape-shifting demons working for the Triad and it's unknown member," concluded Phoebe.

Billie didn't say a word as she sighed, casting her eyes down to the ground sadly. It was something she had never considered before because back then she had been on this blind search to find and rescue her sister, no matter the cost. But, now, that conclusion actually made sense. Why would these demons, especially the Triad, have bothered to keep a mortal girl alive after they had gotten what they wanted? Which was to draw her to them in order to use her and her powers?

Phoebe chose her next words carefully because of Prue, who was standing right there beside them. However, she didn't know if it mattered much anyway considering the fact she didn't appear to remember anything about her life. But still, she erred on the side of caution because she wasn't so sure this was the best time to let the revelation slip. Especially, without Billie's consent.

"Think about it sweetie," Phoebe prodded gently. "It makes the most sense. Especially considering what you've just found out about yourself."

Billie took a quick glance in Prue's direction but opted to say nothing. She didn't know when she would be ready for that conversation. But something told her that it most likely wouldn't be happening for a little while. Not when a woman, who was suppose to be her biological mother, remembered nothing about a daughter she had given away as a teenager. Remembered nothing of her own life. She didn't even remember anything about her own sisters or her former magical life.

Prue just looked on quietly, listening to the whole discussion, but feeling her own sense of compassion reach out to the young girl and her situation.

**ooooo**

Piper and the Elder stood face-to-face, each engaged in a glaring match with the other.

"My sister _agreed_ to leave her family and everything that mattered behind?" Piper challenged. "Sorry, but I find that very hard to believe. In fact, I don't believe it!"

"It's true, Piper," Emeritus replied in a calm fashion. "Prue agreed to all the conditions and then we gave her a new life."

Suddenly, Leo interrupted.

"Wait a minute. There's got to be more to it than that. I knew Prue well and for her to have just given up her life and the people that mattered to her so easily, there had to be a damn good reason," he declared. "Now back to this illusion you were talking about? What is it?"

"Well, essentially, it's exactly what it sounds like. It's a magical illusion, a type of warping against the mind if you will. You feel like what you are seeing and experiencing is so real but in reality it's not real at all. We cast it just long enough to allow the funeral to transpire. Then we let it fade," the first Elder explained.

"So how does Prue fit into all of this?" Piper demanded to know.

"Basically, the reality five years ago after Shax had attacked you and your sister in the manor, was that both of you were left on the brink of death. We would have lost two Charmed Ones before Leo arrived back in time, had we not intervened and healed you. That would have ended the Power of Three indefinitely so we couldn't let it happen. We healed the extensive damage in you and Prue but left you behind, Piper. Leo was able to heal the minor damage left, but we took Prue with us and cast the illusion of her dead body before leaving."

"You took Prue with you?" Piper drew out slowly. She was desperately trying to keep her emotions in check while getting a grip on all of this. "Why the hell would you do that?" she exclaimed even louder. "I mean, how dare you take her away from us, away from all the people that she mattered to, without even letting us know that she was alright!"

"Perhaps, it would be best if we showed you," suggested Emeritus. He extended his hands out before her which appeared to suggest that she was suppose to take hold of them.

Piper felt disgusted with the men standing in her living room. And the last thing she wanted right now was to touch any of them for any reason at all. But she was torn between her feelings of utter resentment and her yearning to see the truth for herself. In the end, the latter won out as she slowly approached the man, extending her own hands until they made contact with the Elder's. She took one last look at Leo, who was standing behind her. He gave her a small nod and a sympathetic smile to let her know she had his full support and understanding. Piper turned back around, took a deep breath, and then closed her eyes. Then, suddenly, she was pulled into a flash that brought her to a different time but the same place. The Halliwell Manor.

**(Flashback... 2001)**

_**There stood Piper, outside the front door to the Manor. **_

_**Opening the door, she walked in on Prue, Dr. Griffiths, and herself talking. Phoebe was nowhere in sight but they appeared to be in a hurry and they were attempting to warn the good doctor of his impending doom. However, he wasn't taking the matter seriously. In fact, he was laughing it off as if it were all a big joke.**_

_"Okay, I know this all sounds incredible, but it doesn't make it any less true," came Prue's voice as she addressed the doctor standing in front of her. "You're a healer, you do good, which means you've either saved too many lives or you're about to save a life they don't want you to save!"_

_**"Hello?" Piper hollered into the scene, waving her hands in the air as she walked into the foyer while trying to catch their attention. "People you all need to get out of here, right now! Shax is going to be here any minute," she tried warning them. But they continued on, not seeing nor hearing her.**_

_"THEY?" Dr. Griffiths reiterated in disbelief._

_"Yeah, demons, uh, more specifically Shax, who is the Source's assassin," explained Prue._

_**Piper looked at herself, standing by Prue and letting her do all the explaining to the doctor, who probably thought they were out of their minds. **_

_**"Okay, any second now, people!" she exclaimed, glancing at them one last time and then back towards the front door. Then the unexpected sound of the doctor laughing caught her attention again. **_

_"Oh, I get it! This is a practical joke, right? There's a hidden camera here?" the doctor rambled on, looking around at his surroundings. "My second wife put you up to this," he laughed._

_**"Hey! What are you laughing at, buddy? I'm trying to save your life here. All of you!" **_

_**She directed her words at all of them but, still, her presence went unnoticed. Weird, she thought. It must be like virtual reality. I feel like I'm really here but I'm not able to participate in any of it.**_

_Prue and Piper cast each other a look. Then Prue began shaking her head in rebuttal, while the doctor carried on._

_"Uh, it's just like her!" he continued laughing._

_"Okay, Dr. Griffiths, listen to me, this is anything but a ..." Prue started but was cut off as a chilling sensation entered the atmosphere. She looked around her. Piper looked at her, questioningly, when she noticed her sister's expression._

_"What?" came Piper's question._

_"Uh," Prue stuttered before completing her sentence. "I don't know, I just felt a chill, Phoebe?" she called looking for her other sister. But there was no response._

_"Phoebe, are you there?" she tried for a second time. Still, there was no response._

_Then suddenly the front door to the manor swung open and a gust of wind, in the formation of a small tornado, burst through the door knocking Prue and Piper to the ground. _

_**Piper threw herself to the ground, momentarily forgetting that the conditions placed upon this space and time could not effect her. As she looked up, she watched the rest of the horror play out before her. **_

_"Phoebe, where are you?" hollered Prue for the last time. Prue looked up from the ground as the gust of wind transformed into Shax. He stood before the doctor who looked on in shock._

_"Dear god!" the doctor exclaimed at the sight before him._

_"NO!" Prue yelled, bolting from the floor, and pushing the doctor out of harms way. _

_**"Prue, no!" pleaded Piper. "You can't stop him on your own!" **_

_**Prue always risked her life to save innocents but this time it was going to cost her. Piper had to close her eyes and turn her head as the scene continued to play out but not before she witnessed herself getting off the floor too. **_

_The energy ball, released from Shax's hand, instantly impacted Prue and sent her flying through the wall and onto the ground. She had slammed her head against the hard gravel in the process. Piper, witnessing her sister's assault, lept from the ground intent on coming to her sister's defense. Instead, another energy ball made contact with her too, which sent her flying in the same direction as her sister. Through the wall and onto the debris._

_Then Shax turned his attention back to the doctor who stood frozen in fear._

_"What are you?" he exclaimed._

_"The END!" replied Shax, sending the man hurdling to his death, straight through the window. Then he exited the manor in the same fashion he entered, in a swirl of heavy wind, slamming the front door shut as shattered glass flew everywhere._

_**Piper reopened her eyes and took in the mass destruction surrounding her. She jumped at the sight of the doctor, lying through the window, bloodied but clearly dead. She turned away and slowly headed in the direction where she and her sister lay dying, waiting for rescue. Suddenly, Piper halted her steps when a flurry of orbs appeared in the manor. They appeared just before the damaged wall where she and Prue had made impact.**_

_**"Leo!" she burst out. **_

_**It had been her natural assumption, upon seeing the orbs. After all, his face had been the one she had first seen upon her waking. She resumed her steps but stopped abruptly, for the second time, when she saw who really orbed into the manor.**_

_**"Gideon?" she seethed. **_

_**There, in the manor, stood Gideon beside Emeritus. One of the Elders who had come to the Manor to deliver the shocking news regarding the real outcome of this day. She watched as Emeritus knelt beside her body, allowing the all too familiar healing energy to flow from his hands while Gideon performed the same healing over Prue. Then both Elders stood back up.**_

_"Come, we don't have much time!" came Gideon's urgent response. _

_So Emeritus bent down as he was about to pick up Piper's body._

_"No! Not that one!" corrected Gideon. "The other one," he replied, nodding in Prue's direction. And with that said, Emeritus moved to the side of Prue, picking up her unconscious form._

_**Piper, witnessing the event, boldly stepped forward to attempt an intervention. **_

_**"Hey! What do you think you're doing with her?" she demanded. "Put my sister down!" But the scene and all its players continued to unseemly play out, completely oblivious to her and her words of protest.**_

_**At the same time, Piper watched as Gideon pulled his hand out of a small bag, releasing a sparkly dust that slowly permeated through the air. It transformed into a sparkling energy that slowly glided over the walls and made it's way through the entire manor. She watched in horror as the sparkling energy created an illusionary form of her sister in the empty space, once occupied by her unconscious sister but now in Emeritus' arms. Then, without warning, all three of them orbed out of the manor.**_

_**Then, just as Piper stepped forward, she was blinded by a flashing white light which took her astral form to new surroundings. She no longer stood in the manor ...**_

_**She was in a bright place. It was unfamiliar and definitely not of the mortal world. As she looked about, she could suddenly make out her sister's unconscious form starting to come back into a conscious state.**_

_**"Prue?" Piper called out in her sister's direction. **_

_**She started to walk towards her but halted her movement when she remembered it would do her no good. She was simply here to watch. She heard her sister's moans and watched her bring her hand to the back of her head as she slowly sat up.**_

_"Where am I?" Prue cried out into the bright arena. "Piper? Dr. Griffiths?" Her voice echoed around her but she heard no reply back._

_**"Prue, I'm over here," Piper called out in vain.**_

_**Then someone else's voice could be made out in the distance. Piper recognized that voice and it was a voice that now made her cringe. Gideon!**_

_"Hello Prue," came his greeting as he emerged from the light. _

_Prue bolted up at the sight of the man before her. She tensed but relaxed when she took notice of his attire. An Elder, she had concluded with evident relief. She continued to absorb her surroundings. _

_"Where am I?" she demanded to know._

_"Well, that depends on your point of view," declared Gideon, while remaining as vague as ever. "Some would call it heaven. Yet others a better place. I'm Gideon by the way," came his introduction._

_"Wait!" Prue interjected, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. "Am I in the afterlife? What's going on? Am I dead?"_

_Gideon smirked. "Ah, that's right. You were never the sister to beat around the bush, were you?" he replied in amusement. Then he turned serious._

_"But to answer your questions, yes and no. Yes, you are currently standing in the middle of what some would call the afterlife. But, no, you're not dead," he answered._

_Prue sighed in relief and visibly relaxed. After taking a moment to close her eyes, she shot them back open as her last coherent moments finally hit her full force. _

_"Oh my god! Piper? Phoebe? They're not dead ..." but she was interrupted by Gideon._

_"No, Prue, relax. Your sisters are alive and well. For the moment," he slipped in._

_Prue immediately caught the hidden innuendo. Her features turned dark as her protective streak broke through. "What's that suppose to mean?" she demanded._

_"It means that if you don't agree to help us, then one of your sisters may have to die," he inferred. "It's not what we want to happen but some unforeseen circumstances that were wrongfully created must now be corrected." _

_Prue shook her head in confusion, not comprehending what the Elder was rambling on about. Unforeseen circumstances wrongfully created, she thought. What the hell did that mean? And what did this have to do with her or her sisters?_

_"The Underworld is now actively seeking a power of ultimate proportions. They have been for some time but it's also a destructive power that was never meant to be," he explained to Prue. "It's a power that can be wielded to obliterate good if evil were ever to get its hands on it!"_

_Prue considered this but was still at a loss as to why this involved her. "Okay, so what does any of this have to do with me or my sisters?"_

_"Because your long lost sister is the final link that will make this power whole," he announced. _

_**Piper absorbed that particular admission.**_

_**"Wait, what?" she exclaimed into the air. "You knew about Paige all along?" **_

_**They had lied to her. And Leo. And Phoebe. The Elders had lied to them when they claimed to have known nothing of the half-witch/half-whitelighter before Prue's death. Why would they have done this to them? **__**She stood watching for her sister's reaction to the news.**_

_"What?" Prue exclaimed in disbelief. "I don't have any other sister. There's just me, Piper, and Phoebe. That's all! What kind of game are you trying to play? Send me back home. NOW!" she demanded._

_Gideon produced a miniature, crystal globe in the palm of his hand as pictures came to life within it. _

_Prue watched the pictures pass by. They showed a young, raven-haired girl, much like herself, dancing in the middle of the dance floor. She looked almost, free, as she closed her eyes, rolling her head back while swaying to the beat of the music. Was that P3? Then, the scene changed to all four sisters sharing a moment around the book of shadows. The new young witch looked petrified at what she was about to do, vanquish her first demon. _

_"I assure you this is no game. In approximately a month's time, you and your sisters were foreseen to have met her and; thus, would have completed the circle to produce an Ultimate Power. A power, forever putting an end to the Power of Three," he continued to explain in detail. "We can't risk evil getting a hold of it!"_

_Prue shook her head, feeling denial set inside the pit of her stomach. There's no way, Prue insisted in thought, as she looked upon the girl in the globe-like structure. Mom never would have kept a secret like that! But then her attention turned back onto two, particular words uttered by the Elder moments before._

_"What to you mean by were foreseen?" she questioned. She picked up on the fact that he had spoken in the past tense as if that had somehow changed now._

_"It means that I'm asking you to help us preserve the Power of Three and serve the greater good. Which means one sister needs to be taken out of the equation," he hinted. "Now, we could have just left one of you to die but we'd rather accomplish this without a loss of life involved, if at all possible. Therefore, if you insist on being reunited with your sisters now, I can't promise you that one of your sisters will be around for the future."_

_Prue narrowed her eyes as a rush of anger overcame her. Was he actually threatening the life of one of her sisters if she didn't do what he wanted? And, then, she glanced to the poor, innocent girl in the globe and felt a sudden flash of guilt and sympathy. If it was true, it wouldn't be fair to hold her accountable to a life she knew nothing about at this point. Why should she have to die? But one thing was for sure. There was no way in hell she was letting Piper or Phoebe go down for this._

_However, the doubt returned, and that one thought came back to Prue. "How do I know this sister even really exists?" she demanded. "I want Mom or Grams to confirm this before I listen to anything else you have to say."_

_Gideon considered it. "Very well," he relented. _

_Then Prue watched as Patty and Grams formed from the bright light surrounding them. She rushed towards them and embraced them both. _

_**"Mom. Grams," Piper muttered at the sight of both of them. "Please tell me you weren't in on this too," she pleaded. **_

_"Hello, my darling," Grams exclaimed, holding on tightly to her eldest granddaughter. _

_As Prue broke from the hug, she noticed how her mother's eyes had filled with unshed tears. Patty took full responsibility on her shoulders for the predicament her daughters now found themselves in and the sacrifice her eldest was now being asked to make._

_The look coming from her mother was all the confirmation Prue needed. She nodded her head. "So it's true then? The other girl is real."_

_"Yes," sobbed Patty. "I'm so sorry, Prue! I never wanted this for any of you. That's why I gave her away. I hoped she would have a safe and normal life, away from the life you and your sisters were destined to have. But if this is the only way to keep you all alive ..." she trailed off._

_Prue listened to her mother with a heavy heart but was confused as to why they were going along so easily with all of this. And why had Gideon so readily allowed her to confront her mother and Grams? Was he already anticipating it ahead of time? With the look on her mother's face, she really felt caught between a rock and a hard place. Slowly, she turned to face Gideon. _

_"If I agreed to it, hypothetically speaking," Prue stressed. "What would this mean for me?"_

_**Piper perked back up at her sister's declaration. "Prue, no! Don't!" she replied sternly. She looked in her sister's direction, shaking her head.**_

_Gideon began pacing, with his hands behind his back. "Well, we would grant you a whole new life of course," he insisted. "But a mortal life! And you wouldn't remember anything about who you were or magic."_

_"But what if the Underworld comes after me?" argued Prue. "I wouldn't be able to defend myself without my powers."_

_"Without your powers, the Underworld will be unable to sense you, track you," Gideon insisted. "But in the slim chance that it does happen, the Elders put it to a vote and we decided that you will be granted limited access if an emergency situation should occur. However, that will be it. You will not be able to access it in any other way!"_

_Prue sighed heavily as she turned back to look at both her mother and Grams. "But I can't just leave them without an explanation first," she insisted._

_**Piper's eyes teared as she turned to watch her mom and grams. She attempted to plead with them. "Mom? Grams? Tell her not to do it!" But she went unheard.**_

_Grams glanced nervously in Gideon's direction before addressing her granddaughter. She shook her head sadly. _

_"I'm sorry, Prue, but you won't be able to see them once you agree to this. And if they summon me, or your mother," she turned to look at Patty "and ask for you, I'll be forced to tell them the same thing. They won't be able to see you or talk to you."_

_Prue closed her eyes tightly, a sudden feeling of regret filling her. She realized by agreeing to this, it would be the last time she would ever remember having Patty as her mom or being raised by her Grams. And she would completely forget her sisters. The trade-off seemed completely unfair, a new, magic-free existence without her memories in exchange for giving up everyone that mattered to her for the greater good? Well at least she would be saving their lives in the process, she reasoned. That was the only consolation. They would be the last innocents she would ever save as a Charmed One. There would be no better way to go out._

_"My sisters are going to believe that I've died, aren't they?" she asked, craving confirmation. She closed her eyes. It was the only logical conclusion._

_"Does this mean you're agreeing to it?" asked Gideon, craving his own confirmation._

_Prue looked between her mother and her Grams, then back to Gideon. She sighed wearily, closed her eyes, and then pleaded into the heavens for Piper and Phoebe to forgive her. _

_"YES!" she replied sternly but with a touch of regret mixed in too. She felt a strong dislike for the Elder before her because of the position she felt he had forced her into. She suspected it was planned and done on purpose._

_**"No, Prue! Why are you giving in? How could you be so weak?" she shouted out, as angry traces of tears, slipped from her eyes, and made their way down her cheeks. **_

_All her life she had looked up to her big sister as the strong one. The one that led the way and they had always taken it for granted. And this was why she was felt so angered. Because for the first time, she was seeing what her sister's true weakness was, would always be. Them. Her sisters. Gideon had stepped right up and taken full advantage of it. She never thought she could hate him anymore than she already did. _

_Grams looked on sorrowfully, as her mom closed her eyes releasing her tears. She reached out her arms to embrace her daughter for the final time. Prue accepted, as she felt her own emotions well up, as the reality of what she just agreed to finally settled in. Her own tears fell._

_"Good!" Gideon smirked. "Now, since you've so graciously embraced serving the greater good, say hello to your new future." He waved his hand and in a swirl of orbs appeared a man. A man that looked around feeling confused by his surroundings until he caught the sight of the woman before him._

_**"You are such a bastard," Piper seethed at Gideon through gritted teeth, as he spoke his last words on the matter. **_

_**Not only had this Elder tried to rob her of her son, but he had stolen her sister. But, before she could reflect anymore on Gideon, she took notice of the man who had been summoned before them. It was a face she hadn't seen in years yet someone she knew all to well. She allowed a small smile to cross her face.**_

_Prue turned in his direction as her eyes went wide. "Andy?" she exclaimed._

_Andy smiled at the sight of the woman he thought he wouldn't see again for a very long time. Not until she had already lived her life, married, went on to have kids, and then reached old age with grand-kids to show for. But he certainly wasn't complaining because he had missed her. And he loved her. _

_"Prue?" he exclaimed back._

_Prue ran towards him and into his open arms. She snuggled close to him, sobbing into his shoulder. Then everything went black for her, Andy, and Piper, who had stood watching the whole scene in complete shock. _

_She was pulled back into her own reality, in the present time. _

**(Flashback Ends)**

Piper felt dizzy, as she backed up away from the Elder, and her husband rushed forward to support her. She felt completely, emotionally overwhelmed by what she had witnessed. She looked back and forth between her husband and the Elders with a forlorn expression on her face.

"Piper, what did you see?" Leo pushed. But her sudden reaction shocked him.

"I don't want to see anymore!" she choked out, covering her mouth with her hand and running from the room to make her way for the stairs.

A stunned Leo was left standing in the living room alone.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Phew! That's all I have to say. **lol ... **This chapter literally drained me so I hope that it was up to your expectations. I know it was long but I just didn't think it was right to cut it off until I did. I'm going to take a rest before I start the next chapter, but there should still be another one ready in a few days. Thanks to all my readers/reviewers for taking the time to follow this story. It motivates me to give you more. **:o) **


	13. Rescue 911

**IDontBreakBonesJustHearts: **yeah, basically, the Elders were following in Gideon's misguided footsteps at the time. Basically, in my story, what he did with Prue is the result of feeling the same way about the Ultimate Power as he did about Wyatt during the sixth season. He's always been obsessed with the balance of power and protecting the greater good against, what he considers, too much concentration of power. So, now, everyone is stuck cleaning up his mess because he interfered with what should have come to pass much sooner. Which was all four sisters uniting to fight evil and to bring down The Triad for good.

**Jedi Alanna: **It's good to have you back.

**lol**, okay, I'm going to try and answer your question as simply as I can because there's still another secret to be revealed that involves the sisters and how it's linked to some of the next generation. But that's not going to come right away.

See, essentially, Billie, Molly, Wyatt, and Chris are part of the Twice Blessed Generation that I briefly referenced in the prologue and a few other spots. They're not a "power of 4" base because their generation is incomplete. Phoebe and Paige haven't had any of their children yet. The children will be born in sets of three, to each sister, which will total a generation of 12 children. The siblings in each set will balance each other, but the generation will not be at its full potential until all twelve children are in existence.

Now once Prue is reunited with her three sisters, their circle will be complete; thus, creating the Ultimate Power. The Ultimate Power is all four Charmed Ones working together. It basically replaces the power of three and is more powerful because this power is able to vanquish what the power of three could not. That's why in the prologue Gideon was explaining to Lana that the Ultimate Power was the eminent threat, not the Twice Blessed Generation. Dumain had it all screwed up when he mistook Billie for the Ultimate Power and Wyatt as the only Twice Blessed Child.

As for Prue's memory, well, the Elder's hold part of the key to that but it's going to come with some unfortunate consequences for her (although, not necessarily permanent ones). The rest is going to depend on Prue. Like, what does she want to remember? But, it is going to be somewhat of a slow process. I hope that I was able to answer some of your questions to give you a better understanding where the story is heading.

**Disclaimer: **Quotes are taken from the season four episode, **Charmed Again**, and borrowed for this chapter. There is no infringement intended.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Rescue 911 **

"Piper!"

The urgent call of her name, through the sound waves, came traveling up behind her. She was half-way up the stairs before slowly turning back around. She stared back but said nothing. Emeritus stepped forward from the living room into the foyer. Leo, Dimitri, and the last remaining Elder followed closely behind.

"Be angry if you must," came his steadfast reply. "But I strongly warn you against going after your sisters. If they are trapped in the Underworld as we speak, then you are the last remaining link that the Triad needs."

Piper shook her head, glaring at the Elder before her. Despite the fact that he had indeed saved her life that fateful day, she still held much contempt for him. These people were unbelievable, she thought. Did they honestly just expect her to sit back and do nothing while Billie and her sisters remained sitting ducks in the Underworld? Sorry, but it wasn't going to happen. Ultimate Power or not! Besides, they were the last ones to be giving any advice after some of the stunts they've pulled over the years. Stunts to save their own hides, and this latest revelation with Prue was just the one to top the cake.

"I'm done listening to anything you have to say," she replied in a solemn, firm voice. "Now, I'm going to turn around, go upstairs to the attic, and find some way to bring my sisters and Billie back home. Because that's what family does. They look out for each other. They don't run away when things get tough and considering all the work they've put into serving your damn cause, I think you owe them that much. So consider this one on me."

Piper turned on her heels and made her way back up the stairs without turning around once. Leo turned to address the men standing behind him.

"I think you better leave," came his own solemn reply. He was about to make his way upstairs to check on Piper but was stopped by Dimitri.

"Leo, wait!" came his urgent request.

Leo turned back around slowly as he made direct eye contact with the new Elder. Dimitri noticed that he made it a point to avoid it with the other two men beside him. Cautiously, he stepped forward before addressing him.

"Look, you have every right to be upset and I wasn't around when all this took place. But I beg you to ask your wife to reconsider. Because if evil gets their hands on the Ultimate Power, everyone suffers. Not just Elders, but everyone. Mortals, witches, other magical beings, the list goes on," Dimitri argued.

"And Billie and the two sisters are not the only ones missing," Emeritus spoke up. "So is Prue."

"What?" inquired Leo.

"We bind-ed Prue's powers but she has limited access in the event of a demonic attack. So, we still have the ability to sense and track her when necessary. Over the past five years, everything has remained quiet. Until very recently. We've detected a use of magic. But now we are unable to track her location," continued Emeritus.

"Which makes it very likely that the Underworld has her too," finished Dimitri. "It's way too dangerous for Piper to risk getting caught as well!"

Leo absorbed everything the other Elders had finished telling him. In truth, he really had nothing against Dimitri in all of this because he hadn't been involved in the first place. "Well, be that as it may, we can't just leave them down there," he concluded. "Without Phoebe and Paige, there's no Power of Three!" And with that said, Leo walked up the stairs. He turned around one last time to glance at the two, senior Elders and then addressed Dimitri. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into!" he declared.

After Leo's retreating form, the three Elders orbed out of the manor.

**ooooo**

Andy sat back against his seat, feeling the strain of the past couple days eating away at him. He closed his eyes and rubbed against his temple while he engaged himself in some deep, contemplative thought. His brain felt like it was on information overload and he had no idea how to process it all in such a short span of time.

In the seat beside him, sat Captain Morris. Or, as Morris had informed him earlier, his former partner from his days as an inspector in San Francisco. According to Darryl, he had died in the line of duty seven years ago. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Apparently, he had died trying to protect his "wife" and some unknown sisters of hers. But the next part of the story is what really blew his mind. The news that his wife was a witch, but not just any witch. A witch with magical powers and that she and these sisters had used them to fight evil on a daily basis. Sisters who they were on their way to confront right now. What would they even think?

Andy would have shrugged all of this off as the crazed ramblings of a lunatic had he not seen what he did when his wife was taken the other day. But mysterious men in dark robes with occult symbolism as decor, throwing fire and energy from their hands, was not a part of the everyday job description for a cop. Therefore, he had been open to any explanation at the time. And when Darryl had provided him with background information regarding this other life, it only served to add to the weirdness of the entire situation. He was provided with pictures, copies of birth records and records of death, motor vehicle registration and obituaries. At first, he tried to rationalize it. That it was merely a freaky coincidence that this other man, Inspector Andrew Trudeau, looked so much like him. However, he was forced to reconsider that option when he saw all the background information gathered on a Prue Halliwell. Maybe one of them could be a coincidence but not both. When he saw her picture plastered on her motor vehicle license from five years past, there was no doubt in his mind that she was his wife. This Andy and Prue were both from San Francisco, both of them were presumed dead, and they had both known each other during their life time. And now he and his wife just happen to be their identical matches? No way. However, Andy was pulled from his thoughts very suddenly when a flight attendant's voice rang out over the intercom.

"Attention all passengers. We will be landing at LAX in approxiatemately fifteen minutes. The Pilot has asked that all passengers return to their seats and fasten their seatbelts. Thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to having you fly with us again," came the woman's voice.

Andy sighed and looked over at Darryl, who was just coming out of his own nap. He yawned and stretched his legs before addressing Andy.

"Well, here goes nothing. Are you ready?" asked Darryl.

Andy just smirked and shook his head. "Is there such a thing as being ready for something like this?" he asked rhetorically, while looking back at Darryl.

Darryl paused before continuing.

"Look, man. I know this is rough. But if it's going to help get Prue, I mean your wife back, it's worth a shot right? And, hey! It might even open up a lead to your missing daughter." He said this with sympathy edged into his voice. Because in the back of his mind, he was convinced that there was a connection between Prue's old life and why their daughter went missing during this one.

Andy turned back to look out the small window. He shook his head.

"We don't even know for sure that Molly's disappearance is connected to any of this. It's been over a year and nothing even remotely weird has happened until now," he argued. "Children can disappear for other reasons." Andy had almost muttered that last sentence but Darryl heard enough of it to understand what he meant by it.

"True enough, but there's always that chance," replied Darryl. "And granted, the sisters are going to be overwhelmed with all of this at first but they'll come around. Trust me, they'll know what to do." He tried to sound as reassuring as the situation allowed for.

Andy just issued him a weak smile in return, as both of them prepared for the landing that was now in progress. Their next destination? The Halliwell Manor in San Francisco, California.

**ooooo**

Phoebe sat with her head resting against the chamber wall, eyes closed. She felt the beginning stages of a migraine start to take effect. She had been watching the restless behavior of her resurrected sister for at least the past hour or so and it was starting to get on her nerves. Even while she sat with her eyes closed and could no longer see it, she could still hear it.

"Hey, Prue?" came Phoebe's loud call. "You think you can stop pacing over there? I may not be able to see you at the moment but I think you're giving me whip lash!"

"Marie!" Prue corrected, while continuing to pace. "And the rest of you may not mind sitting on your butts doing nothing to get us out of here, but I do!"

Phoebe opened her eyes and pulled herself up into an upright, sitting position. "Okay, MARIE," she over-enunciated. "What would you like us to do exactly? The door is bolted shut from the outside and we have no powers in here. I'd say our options are pretty cut and dry at the moment!"

Paige decided to cut in and offer up a compromise before an unnecessary argument erupted. They had been in here way too long and she could feel the tension in the air too. But that's because everyone was on edge. It's just that some of them were dealing with it differently than the others.

"Okay, guys, why don't we all just try to relax for a bit and then think of something constructive to do to try and get us out of here? I think we're all feeling on edge right now but snapping at each other isn't going to get us out of here any sooner," declared Paige in an effort to keep the peace.

Prue stood with her arms crossed, glaring at Paige. However, finally, she relented by releasing a deep sigh and sitting down with the others. Phoebe looked to Prue while Paige released a deep breath of her own.

"Sorry," Phoebe apologized to Prue. She brought her hand up to rub her temple. "I've just got this monstrous headache coming on and unless it starts raining _Advil_ in here soon, I think my brain is going to implode!"

"Oh, please. Not on me!" Billie joked.

Phoebe released a light laugh. "I'm not making any promises," she offered back.

Then, a sullen silence surrounded the women until Paige decided to speak up and ask a few questions to help the time pass away. Actually that, and to learn something about the oldest sister she had never gotten the chance to know. She looked to Prue and considered the best way to open up a conversation because up until now she hadn't said very much to her.

"So," started Paige. "Marie. Um, how long have you been down here anyway?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders in the air.

Both Phoebe and Billie looked at Prue awaiting her answer, along with Paige. Prue looked to each woman before answering the question.

"Well, um, not that long. The last thing I remember was being lured to this abandoned building by two men. Or at least that's what I thought they were at the time," she explained, while shaking her head back and forth and thinking about it.

"Wait!" interrupted Phoebe. "Are you telling us that you've just been brought here recently?" she asked for clarification purposes. Phoebe felt baffled by the revelation that Prue hadn't spent her whole time away from them in the Underworld. How could demons have kept Prue a secret in the mortal world, she wondered. And what about her memory loss?

"Uh, yeah. Why?" asked Prue, feeling confused as to why she would have assumed differently. "Have you been here for a long time?" she asked back.

"No, we just got here too," answered Paige in place of Phoebe. "But back to these two men you were talking about. Do you know who they were or maybe what they were?" she then asked, hoping for a description of some sort.

Prue shook her head before responding.

"Um, no, I didn't know them but it was weird because one of them looked exactly like someone I just met. Only it really wasn't him. And then the other one wore some dark garb, a type of robe, with some occult symbol on the front," she volunteered.

"A Triad," Billie automatically concluded, as she listened intently.

"And the shape-shifter," added Phoebe.

So the Triad and the shape-shifting demons were somehow connected to Prue and her mysterious resurrection. What were they hoping to accomplish with this? Besides the obvious, which was to kill them. No, there had to be more to it. Otherwise, why would they go out of their way to spring a trap like this?

"Triad?" Prue questioned. Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, that term sounded vaguely familiar to her. However, as hard as she tried, she couldn't grasp where that particular concept came from.

"Yeah! Really really bad guys," explained Billie. "Very high up on the demon food chain!"

Prue listened but remained quiet. However, the sound of the door unbolting had all four of them on their feet instantly as they turned to face the impending intruder.

**ooooo**

After Leo had made his way to the second floor, he made a quick inspection of the master bedroom only to find Piper not there. As he passed by Wyatt and Chris's room, he decided to check on them before heading to the attic next. When he peeked inside, he could make out the sleeping forms of three children. Everything seemed normal. Slowly, he made his way up the attic stairs. He opened the door to discover his wife sitting, hunched over on the floor, lighting candles that were set in a circle formation. The Book of Shadows lay at her side and because Piper was so engrossed in what she was doing, she didn't even hear her husband enter the room.

"Honey, what are you doing?" he asked gently, making his way over to sit beside her.

"What needs to be done," she replied firmly. "I'm summoning mom. I want to know why she and Grams thought it was okay to lie to us about Prue. It's not right!"

As she declared this, she thought back to the day of Prue's funeral when she had tried to summon her sister but had summoned Grams in her place. All of the calls to summon her lost sister had been in vain. They hadn't worked because she was never dead to begin with ...

**(Flashback 2001... Attic)**

_It's the day of Prue's funeral and Piper enters the attic. She proceeds to position candles on the attic floor._

_"I am a witch, damn it! I've summoned people before and I'm going to summon Prue whether you like it or not," Piper declared to the heavens as she approached the podium, holding the Book of Shadows. _

_"No more playing games, no more being the good witch, I want to talk to my sister, I need to talk to my sister. At the very least you owe me that!" she spat out. Then she proceeded with the summoning spell ..._

_**"Hear these words, hear my cry, Spirit from the Other Side; Come to me, I summon thee; Cross now the Great Divide."**_

_Piper waited until a swirl of white orbs appeared in the center of the attic. She had been anticipating Prue; however, she got her Grams instead._

_"Grams?" Piper pleaded, feeling disappointed._

_"Hello my darling," came her Grams' reply. "How are you?" she asked._

_"How am I?" Piper asked rhetorically. "Are you kidding? Do you guys not get the news up there?"_

_Penny Halliwell sighed. "I'm sorry! What I meant was, how are you holding up?"_

_Piper shook her head in response. "Not very well," she replied. "I'm a little, lost! And why didn't you come before when I called after ..." but she didn't get the chance to finish because her Grams cut her off._

_"I couldn't Piper, I was ... busy," Penny stammered._

_"You were busy?" a confused Piper asked._

_"I was with Prue," Penny Halliwell drew out._

_"Oh!" declared Piper looking around. "Well, of course. Right, that would make sense." Then she sighed before asking, "Is she okay?"_

_Penny Halliwell hesitated before answering her granddaughter's question. "Your mother and I are helping her through this," she replied._

_"But, how is she?" Piper pushed._

_"I'm not allowed to tell you now, just like you're not allowed to see her, at least not for awhile, anyway," concluded Grams._

_Piper looked around, a feeling of utter bewilderment gracing her features. "Why?" she interrogated._

_"Because seeing Prue right now, speaking to her, keeps her alive for you," Penny tried to reason. "Which keeps you from being able to move on with your life, to continue your destiny!"_

_Piper huffed. "What destiny? Okay, it's over, it's done. Prue is gone and I ..." she trailed off as Penny attempted to sympathize with her granddaughter._

_"I know sweetie, I know," she replied. "But if there's one thing you've learned over the last three years it's that there's always a reason for everything. Which means, there's a reason for this too." _

_Then she paused as Piper remained quiet. "Your destiny still awaits. Blessed be," was her final response as she orbed back into the afterlife and Piper looked on._

**(Flashback Ends)**

Piper felt angry about the memory.

_Just more lies, _she huffed in her thoughts as she recited the same words from the Book that she had recited on that same day. Leo sat at her side, watching helplessly.

_"Hear these words, Hear my cry; Spirit from the other side; Come to me, I summon thee; Cross now the Great Divide."_

Piper and Leo both looked around but only felt a breezy draft. When nobody materialized before them, Piper recited the spell again. This time, she felt her anger creep through the words.

_"Hear these words, Hear my cry; Spirit from the Other side; Come to me, I summon thee; cross now the Great Divide!" _she shouted into the air. But still, nothing happened.

"Mom? Grams?" she cried out. "I know that you can hear me! So get your butts down here right now. I need to talk to you." But still, she received no sign of an impending visitation. Leo tried to offer his own input, but was ignored.

"Piper, maybe they're not allowed to come right now," he tried reasoning with her.

"Mom, Grams? Did you hear me? You better, because Paige and Phoebe's lives depend on it!" she declared.

Leo sighed because all he was able to do at this point was sit back and wait. His wife was stubborn and he knew she wouldn't give up until she was ready to. But it needed to happen fast because they needed to work on a way to get Phoebe, Paige, and Billie back. Before it was too late.

"Did you know about this Ultimate Power all along? And if you did, why did you let them take Prue away? Why?" she stressed a second time. However, when her questions still went ignored, she erupted.

"Answer me, dammit!" she shouted, picking up the Book of Shadows and flinging it straight across the attic floor. It impacted the floor with a loud thudding sound while she brought her hands up to cover her face. She began to sob uncontrollably.

"Piper," Leo soothed, reaching out to embrace her in his arms. She leaned back into him as her words mixed in with the sounds of her sobbing.

"She just left, Leo! She left us, left us all behind. How could she do that?" she cried into his shoulder. "I feel like I hate her right now. I don't want to but I hate her for it. I don't care if she thought she was saving us!"

"It's okay," Leo soothed as he rocked back and forth with Piper in his arms.

Leo kissed the top of his wife's head. After a few moments of accepting the comfort her offered to her, Piper pulled herself free from his embrace. She moved to stand back up as Leo followed. She used the back of her hand to wipe underneath her eyes, pacing the floor at the same time.

"How could she?" she uttered into the open space surrounding her.

Leo was about to attempt an answer when suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of creaking coming from the attic door. As both of them turned their attention in the direction of the door, they were greeted by the sight of a small child making her way inside. The small steps were very slow and tentative as the child tippy-toed her way across the floor. It was Molly. She was wearing an extra pair of Wyatt's pajamas. As she approached them, Piper and Leo could make out that she was sobbing as she used her small fists to rub against her eyes. Piper took a deep breath and quickly tried to pull herself together. She didn't want to make the little girl anymore upset than she already appeared to be.

_I hope I didn't startle her out of her sleep._

Molly had spent almost a week at Phoebe's place adjusting, so it was likely that she felt insecure being alone in the house without Phoebe around. Piper could feel the puffiness surrounding her own eyes. She forced a smile, bent down on her knees, and then gently reached out for the small child to try and soothe her.

"Hey, what's the matter, sweetie?" she asked softly. "You didn't have a bad dream, did you?"

The little girl stopped in front of Piper and nodded her head in response to the question. Piper then pulled her into a hug so she could try and calm the little girl down.

"The bad man tooks me away again!" she slurred through her sobbing. "I want Phoephe!"

"Aw, it's okay now," Piper soothed, standing back up a firm grasp on the little girl. "You're safe. And that bad man can't get you because we're here with you."

Leo watched for a moment and then reached out. "Do you want me to try and put her back to sleep so you so you can work on finding the others?" he whispered.

Piper nodded her head over Molly's as she gently handed the little girl over to Leo. He grabbed ahold of her and as he held her, she rested her small head against his shoulder. Piper could tell that she still looked exhausted and was on the verge of falling back asleep as her eyes drifted. However, they had managed to calm her down from the nightmare. The sobbing had subsided and only some small sniffling sounds could be heard. As Leo made his way to exit the attic with Molly, Piper tried to relax. She knew she needed to calm herself down if only for her sisters sake. And Billie's. She had to find a way to bring them back home safely. So she slowly approached the Book of Shadows, where it lay sprawled open on the floor. She picked it up and brought it back over to the podium. Then she gathered the items she needed to begin scrying again.

_Please work, _she begged.

**ooooo**

In a gentle manner, Leo closed the bedroom door to Wyatt and Chris's room after he placed a sleeping Molly back in the small bed beside Wyatt. All of the children were now sound asleep again. However, as he went to turn back around, he jumped backwards when the sight of blue and white orbs materialized before him.

"Dimitri!" he exclaimed, feeling completely startled. "What are you doing back here?" He tried to keep his voice to a low whisper. They were standing right outside the bedroom of the sleeping children.

Dimitri took a deep sigh. "I'm here to help, Leo!" he announced.

Leo started to shake his head. "Look, I appreciate it, I really do. But you can't. You should go before Piper sees you," he protested. "Or the other Elders find out!"

"Leo," argued Dimitri. "We weren't joking around when we said it was too dangerous for Piper to risk getting caught in the Underworld. Now, I understand that you need to find the others. But at least let me help. I have an idea."

Leo crossed his arms, sighing heavily, while taking in the new Elder before him. He was young and naive; he had alot to learn about what being an Elder really entailed. However, he couldn't help but to admire the young man's tenacity and his perseverance when trying to stand by doing the right thing. This would probably cost Dimitri down the road but who was he to argue at this point. If they could get everyone back safely and still prevent evil from getting its hands on this new power, he was open to any helpful suggestions.

"Okay, I'm listening," he relented. "What's your idea?"

**ooooo**

All four women stood in a single row, the anticipation alone threatening to kill them. Some time had passed by since they heard the first sound of the door unlatching from the outside. They had reacted immediately and now stood on alert. However, the door never opened. Whoever was going to enter must have changed their mind. They continued to wait as the adrenaline coarsed through their veins; however, still nothing happened. But they all quickly decided that being prepared for an eventual confrontation was much better then sitting around waiting for it to happen.

"Okay, I say if there's only one of them, the three of us jump him and bring him down while Paige heads for the exit," suggested Phoebe. "That way you can orb out of here!" she addressed Paige.

"Okay? And if there's more than one?" Paige asked shaking her head, not feeling very good with the idea that she would orb out of here, leaving the rest of them to fend for themselves. "Besides, even if there is only one, shouldn't I take at least one of you with me?" she suggested.

Prue spoke up.

"Then, take Billie with you?" she offered, nodding in Billie's direction. "Phoebe and I can handle taking one of them down, right Pheebs?"

She looked at Phoebe who, in return, released a small grin back in her direction at the sound of her nickname being used. Prue, realizing what she had just said, wondered where in the world it had come from.

Billie, in the meantime, was looking at Prue. While she felt grateful that her mother was looking out for her, she wanted to protest against it. After all, she figured it was best to get her mother out of her first, especially since they had no idea why the demons were using her. It would be safer that way until they could figure it out.

"No. No, I think you should go!" exclaimed Billie. "Phoebe and I can handle it!

Billie looked to Prue who looked like she was about to protest, so she jumped back in before Prue had the chance. "And look, before you argue with me, I just think it's safer if we get you out of here until we know what the Triad wants from you," she defended.

Phoebe had also been prepared to argue against Billie, being one of the people to stay behind, until she realized that her niece had brought up an excellent point. Therefore, she opted to agree with her instead. "Actually, I think Billie makes a good point. They obviously lured us here to be with you for a reason," replied Phoebe. "We should get you out of here."

Prue rolled her eyes and decided to give in this once. She still felt a protective pull towards Billie and still felt that the young girl should be allowed to go before she did. "Fine, whatever," she relented. "But if there's an opportunity where we can all get out of this together, we take it. Understood?"

"Okie dokie, that's settled then," Paige broad-casted. "Except for the fact we don't know for sure if there's only going to be one of them?" she pointed out again.

"_If_ there's more than one, we just take our chances," supplied Prue.

Phoebe and Billie decided to agree but their planning session was short-lived. Several more minutes later, the door was now being swung open at full force. However, as they prepared to launch their attack, it was halted by the sight that greeted them. As the door opened, they made out a woman being thrown into the chamber to join them. Her mouth was gagged and her hands were tied behind her back while the woman responsible, stood at the door, smirking in their direction.

"Oh my god, Piper!" shouted Phoebe as she and Paige both ran to assist her.

Prue and Billie remained in position, standing side by side. Prue didn't know how to react to what was happening but Billie stood frozen in place for a different reason. It was because she took notice of the woman who had thrown Piper to the ground so callously.

"Christy?" Billie called out. "Is that you? What are you doing?"

Prue decided to take advantage of the moment. While the girl was distracted by Billie's question and the other two sisters were tending to their newest arrival, she lept forward pushing this Christy through the door and onto the ground, landing next to her in the process. What she witnessed next, shocked her. Before her eyes, the young woman that Billie had addressed as Christy just moments before, now materialized into the form of a man.

"Hey, take it easy there! We're here to help!" cried Leo, recovering from the shock. However, as he turned to look at his assailant, he caught sight of Prue. It was a face he hadn't seen in over five years and he couldn't help but stare. "Whoa!" he released as they both got off the ground.

Prue's reaction, for the gazillionth time, was to roll her eyes because she was prepared for what was coming next. So she decided to beat him to the punch line. "Um, let me guess?" she mocked. "I happen to look like someone you use to know? A Prue, right?" She released a half-smirk in his direction, shook her head, and then turned back around to face the door.

At the same time, Phoebe, Paige, and Billie made their way out of the chamber with the other woman in tow. She was no longer bound and gagged. But, unfortunately, all the commotion caught the attention of the demonic guards who were posted on duty very close by. They were making their way towards them.

"HEY!" one shouted.

"Uh, time's up! We need to get out of here right now!" declared Leo.

As Leo made his way to stand with the rest of them, Phoebe released a potion vial that Piper had handed to her inside of the chamber. It hit the guard square in the chest, vanquishing him, while Paige proceeded to accomplish the same feat with the other guard. Then Leo took a hold of Piper and Phoebe. Paige did the same with Prue and Billie and everyone orbed out from the Underworld back to the Manor.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **okay, that's the end of this chapter. A Piper/Prue confrontation is on it's way and soon Prue/Andy will reunite with their daughter. Well, Molly at least. Billie's identity will be revealed to them eventually. So, sit tight and I'll be back with the next chapter soon. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review. **;o) **


	14. Divided We Stand

Welcome to my new reviewers, **ShadowWren** and **PaytonPaigePatriciaHalliwell. **It's good to have you on board and I'm glad you like the story.

**PaytonPaigePatriciaHalliwell: **Actually, it is VERY possible for two dark-haired parents to have a blonde-haired child. Blonde hair is a recessive gene and when both parents carry the recessive gene, those genes can match up and produce a blonde-haired child. You have it backwards. Two blonde-haired parents wouldn't be able to produce a dark-haired child. Dark-colored hair is a dominant gene trait.

Therefore, in my story, Prue and Andy were able to produce two blonde-haired children; Billie and Molly.

**IDontBreakBonesJustHearts: **Prue will remember having Billie, you'll just have to be patient with me though, **lol**. I already have an idea how it will come to pass but it's not for a little while yet. Remember, the Elders are only responsible for taking away the memories she already possessed at the time of her supposed "death." Grams had already cast a spell to make Prue forget before all that so there will have to be another way she remembers Billie.

**Jedi Alanna: lol**, thanks for making me aware of the difference in spelling when it comes to vial vs. vile. I knew there was more than one meaning, but I honestly had no idea that there were two different spellings for that word. Never used "vial" before this story. However, I took the time to look both vile/vial up in the dictionary and understand the two connotations now.

And as for the next generation, the sisters will come to learn about them. But it will be in an unexpected way. **;o)**

As far as the **Ultimate Power **vs. **The Twice Blessed Generation **goes, basically the next generation will be an extension of the Ultimate Power. So, it's not that they'll be more powerful per say, it's just that the structure (set-up) is a bit different. The only advantage they have over the sisters is that there will be 12 of them in total versus 4 AND they have the ability to maintain the Ultimate Power indefinitely because they are born from it; despite the fact that the sisters didn't have it yet b/c they weren't together. The next generation is powerful within their own right (that justifies why Billie was able to vanquish the Noxen Demon from season 8 without all the others there).

For example, if one of the sisters were to die, they lose access to the power. They would only have the Power of Three left to back them up. And if another sister dies, they would lose that power too. All of the sisters are needed to balance the power, otherwise, it disappears. With the Twice Blessed Generation, they will still use each other to balance the power but it won't completely vanish if some of them were to die. The others will be able to carry on with it. That's the main advantage of the next generation, but the power is more effective within the whole group. Therefore, the more of the next generation around, the stronger the power between them. And the less of them that are around, the more the power weakens. So that is their biggest disadvantage.

Also, it's not that the **12 **will wield more power than the sisters. The strength, itself, will be the same because the power is The Ultimate Power. So, in a way, I guess Dumain wasn't completely wrong about Billie because she is an extension of the power. But the **4** Charmed Ones ARE the Ultimate Power and, as a whole, only they will be able to defeat the Triad. In theory, the Twice Blessed Generation could probably do it with all **12 kids**, but for the purposes of my story, it's the destiny of the Charmed Ones to destroy the Triad.

Essentially, the Ultimate Power possesses the ability to vanquish "unvanquishable demons. The **4 **sisters can vanquish anything together b/c they are the Ultimate Power. Without each other, they lose the power completely. The Twice Blessed have the full use of the Ultimate Power when the whole generation exists. But if some were to die, the use decreases which means they might be able to vanquish some unvanquishable demons but not others. Think of high level unvanquishable demons vs. low-level unvanquishable demons. Billie could handle a low-level, like the Noxen, by herself (assisted by Molly's power b/c Lana/Christy was helping her) but not a high-level like the Triad. Does it make more sense to you that way? Essentially, the Twice-Blessed Generation is the generation that sustains the Ultimate Power and carries it on after the Charmed Ones (Ultimate Power) are retired but the set-up is entirely different.

However, that's where Gideon's concerns lied. The chance that the Ultimate Power could land, solely, in the hands of one person with no others to help balance it out. Thus, leading to a "Future Evil Wyatt" situation (where it becomes about who maintains the most power instead of good vs. evil). Also, the power would be potentially disastrous if it landed in the hands of evil period. So Gideon wanted to eliminate the risks all together by preventing the Ultimate Power from coming to pass to the sisters. He thought he succeeded with that when he took Prue out of the equation. Then he shifted his concerns to Wyatt during the sixth season to prevent the new generation from coming into the power (b/c they're born into it and as a first-born Wyatt exhibited alot of the power very early). Also, in my story, he intends to move onto the other children as well, only now as a demon (Triad).

Story time ... **lol**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Divided We Stand **

Piper stood behind the podium with the Book of Shadows opened up in front of her, worry etched across her face as she continued pacing back and forth. She was prepared to enter the Underworld alone, with a potion she had conjured up, if the others were not back in ten minutes. Granted, she wasn't positively sure the potion would work but it was worth a shot. She already knew the location. However, when Piper looked back up, the familiar blue and white orbs suddenly appeared in the attic. She took in a deep breath of air and sighed with relief.

_Thank god._

As Leo and Paige orbed in with the others, they all took a moment to catch their bearings. Prue felt herself grow dizzy and reached out to the nearest wall for some support. Paige reached out to steady her from the other side.

"You okay?" Paige asked.

"Whoa!" came Prue's response to the sudden rush she felt as Paige steadied her by the arm. "Does that happen all the time?" she asked.

"Nope, just 'til you get used to it!" replied Paige.

Suddenly, everyone in the room was alerted to the fact that they were now standing in the company of two Pipers. Phoebe, Paige, and Billie each looked between the Piper standing beside them and the Piper standing in front of them. Prue remained in the shadows, shielded behind the other four, but she could still make out the presence of the two identical women. What was going on?

"Uh, okay, what's going on?" Phoebe voiced in a high-pitched tone. "Did we just bring a shape-shifter demon back home with us?"

All the women backed away from the Piper standing next to them.

"Relax," declared Leo with a smile. "Trust me, it's not what you think."

Then the Piper standing nearest to them suddenly materialized back into a young man that most of them had never laid eyes on before. He released a small smile in their direction.

"Uh, okay! Who are you?" came Phoebe's inquiry to the man who now stood next to them.

The real Piper standing by the podium released her own grin. After all, it was slightly amusing to watch the shocked reactions of her sisters in response to her double. At least, there was some humor found in it until she caught sight of the other woman standing behind them. Piper's grin slowly faded away as a serious glare emerged in its place. Slowly, the other woman's gaze met with hers but the eyes were completely foreign to Piper. The eyes that stared back were the eyes of a stranger because no recognition of Piper flashed through them when their stares locked. Piper remained silent. At least it looked like she was being spared from delivering the biggest news to her other sisters, she reasoned. Apparently, they had already found out about Prue because there she was standing with them. The Elders must have been right when they told Leo that Prue had gone missing too, most likely held captive in the Underworld.

"This is Dimitri," explained Leo, oblivious to his wife's thoughts. "He's an Elder, actually, he's just been appointed one very recently."

"Ha! Good luck!" mocked Phoebe while rolling her eyes and sticking both hands into her back pockets. The Elders. They aren't exactly on our list of favorite people these days, she thought.

"Dimitri's also been helping me to reorganize the Magic School. To get it back in operation again," explained Leo. "He offered to help us get you back without exposing Piper to any unnecessary danger. Piper scried and used a glamouring potion to alter our appearance and that's how we were able to rescue you." Leo opted for a half-truth because he knew this new-found revelation about the Ultimate Power should be a discussion to take place with Piper first. Hopefully, he had just provided her with an opening to break into that conversation.

"Unnecessary danger?" Paige questioned. Automatically assuming that Leo was referring to Piper's condition, she opted to reassure her brother-in-law that no harm would come to Piper or the baby. That their welfare would always be top priority. "Leo, the baby will be fine. Piper will be fine. We promise not to let anything happen to either of them," Paige offered in order to help ease his worrying. Only now, Leo was left feeling confused on how Paige reached that conclusion.

"Uh, no, it's not that. I trust you guys with that but it's ..." he let his voice trail off, hoping his wife would jump in and take it from there. As he looked to her, he noticed that Piper was distracted. Then it dawned on him. In fact, as impossible as it may seem, he himself had almost forgotten that she was standing there. It was Prue.

Piper quickly reverted her focus back to all the others as she attempted an explanation. She had quickly decided that in order to push off the impending confrontation that was bound to take place, she needed to avoid acknowledging her. "Um, well, I should probably take it from here. What can I say except you guys missed alot in the short time you were gone," Piper started while closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath.

_You can do this, Piper._

Suddenly, Phoebe interrupted the flow before she had the chance to finish. "Uh, Piper, maybe there's something we should tell you first," she announced as she nervously glanced back in Prue's direction.

Piper kept her eyes shut. She knew what was coming. "Phoebe," she stressed. "Please don't interrupt me. I really need to get this out first." She needed to get all this information out now why she still felt an as-semblance of rationality coarsing through her veins. Because once the emotional dam broke there was no going back.

"I know, Piper, but," Phoebe pushed; however, Piper cut her off immediately.

"Phoebe?! I don't care right now, it can wait!" she exclaimed a little louder.

Avoidance was the best key. However, Piper knew that was a sad excuse and that she should just deal with what was inevitable. But while her mind tried to make her aware of that logical conclusion, her heart just wasn't ready to handle it. Honestly, she had no idea how she was going to react when she finally confronted Prue, memory intact or not.

"But, Piper, it can't wait because it's about Prue. She ... " Paige tried jumping in to help Phoebe deliver the news.

"I already know that Prue's alive, Paige, and I don't care! So can all of you please just shut-up long enough for me to get out what I need to say?! Is that too much to ask?"

Piper's eyes shot back open, her sharp words piercing the air and her sister's fragile heart. She hadn't meant for it to sound that harsh but she couldn't help it. Her sudden outburst managed to accomplish garnering the attention of everyone else in the attic; however, Paige's response was to turn around and walk out of the attic as fast as her two legs could carry her. Paige finally had enough with being her sister's personal punching-bag to take out all her pent-up frustrations on. That was it, she was out of there. Besides, it's not like she didn't have a life to live.

_I've been treating Henry and my marriage like second fiddle to put up with this crap? __I don't think so, not anymore!_

"Paige, wait!" came Piper's plea, laced with regret. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean ..." but it was too late because she was cut off by the sound of the attic door slamming shut. "Ah, dammit!" Piper shouted out to nobody in particular. She rested her elbows against the podium as she brought her hands up to cover her face. She didn't mean to take it out on Paige like that. For the first time, she actually began to acknowledge that she had been doing that alot lately and it needed to stop.

Phoebe turned on Piper right away before making her move to go check on Paige. "Piper, what the hell is your problem?" she stressed, feeling her own anger rise. That reaction had been totally uncalled for. Then Phoebe exited the attic as well.

Prue and Billie were now the only two left standing in the attic with the others. In truth, they both felt awkward being there but neither of them had said a word in response to the altercation that had just gone down. Both Leo and Dimitri flanked them on one side and were also at a loss for words. Although, if one were adept at reading body language, Leo appeared to be seriously considering whether or not to get involved. Everyone that was left remaining in the attic watched as Piper approached their direction. However, nobody expected what happened next. With one swift swipe of her hand, Piper slapped Prue straight across the face. Prue brought her hand up to cover the spot where it stung, resulting from the woman's forceful impact. Her reaction was pure shock as her eyes widened in response and that was it. There were no words exchanged just that one slap, that in and of itself, spoke a thousand words. Prue watched as the other woman's eyes misted over before Piper also made a hasty exit from the attic.

Billie stood with one hand covering her mouth in complete surprise. Piper's sudden reaction had caught them all off guard and no one knew what to say or do in the situation. A slap in the face wasn't exactly how she expected someone to react when encountering their long lost sister once believed to be dead. Why was Piper so angry? She stood still and watched for Prue's reaction to the situation after the initial shock wore off.

Prue felt her own anger begin to coarse through her body for the first time. What the hell had she ever done to that woman to deserve that? Maybe it was her own stubborn nature or maybe she was just a glutton for punishment but she wanted some answers and she wanted them now. Over the course of the past week or so, some unknown identity had gotten her into some serious trouble. She and her husband were attacked in their own apartment. Then she was receiving mysterious phone calls and being lured away from her home to abandoned buildings by strange beings who could change their form and launch fire balls through the air. And finally, if all that wasn't bad enough she was abducted and held prisoner in some sort of weird underground cavern until she was rescued by some weird form of magic. All while in the company of assorted people who believed her to be someone named Prue. And now she was receiving slaps in the face from some strange woman she didn't know? Prue marched for the door.

"Um, Prue, maybe you should let her cool off?" Leo stepped forward in protest but his suggestion went unheard.

_I forgot. She can be as stubborn as Piper. God help us!_

Billie, Leo, and Dimitri looked to each other before parting ways.

"Uh," stuttered Billie. "I think I'm just going to spend the night at my dorm. Things are going to be a little tense around here for awhile, I can tell," she conceded gently.

Besides, this way she figured she could check in with her roommate so she wasn't making anymore unexpected appearances at the manor. However, Billie also needed some time alone. She had alot to come to terms with regarding her own identity, her relationship to the people around her, and the resurrection of a birth mother who knew nothing about her. Someone she didn't know either. What would her place be in the woman's life anyway? She didn't even remember anything about her life and how would she react once she found out?

"It's late Billie," Leo argued. "How are you even going to get there?"

"Well, if I hurry, I thought maybe I could catch a ride with Paige," she reasoned, a small shrug of her shoulders accompanying her response.

Leo thought about her suggestion but decided to argue against it. "No, better not," he advised. "Things are a little heated with the sisters right now. Let's just give them some space so they don't take it out on anybody else. I'll take you," he offered.

"Um ... " Billie hesitated, not feeling like it was the best idea to risk orbing anywhere near the school. What if they were seen by somebody?

"I'll be careful," Leo reassured her, picking up on why she was hesitant. "Come on." He then reached out his hand to her and she grabbed onto it.

"I'll be going too," supplied Dimitri. "And I do hope the sisters will be able to sort out their differences soon," he replied solemnly.

Leo turned to address Dimitri before orbing. "Yeah, me too," agreed Leo. "See you at Magic School."

Dimitri looked up and exited the attic in the traditional swirl of blue and white orbs. Leo and Billie proceeded to do the same, leaving the attic silent and empty.

**ooooo**

Piper rushed down from the attic and onto the second floor. She was intent on locking herself away in the bedroom to stay there away from everyone. Those dark, whirling emotions quickly morphed into physical manifestations as the feelings built up in the pit of her stomach, traveling through her skin, and finally catching in her throat. Her body was begging for a release; she needed to cry, shout, and curse at the world for how unfair it all had been. However, those plans were put on hold when she heard the closely approaching footsteps behind her.

"Hey!" came Prue's yell while she continued to follow her.

Piper stopped and turned around only to come face-to-face with the last person she wanted to see right now. For a few short seconds, the two women stood there engaging in a glaring match; the tension felt in the air so thick that a knife could cut through it. After one hard look in her direction, Piper spun back around on her feet attempting to walk away.

"Uh, excuse me. Do you mind telling me what the hell that was all about up there?" Prue demanded.

Piper stopped, turning around once again. She took a few steps back in her direction until they were only a few inches apart from each other. "Actually, yes, I do mind!" she retorted, her voice carrying its own distant and very cold edge to it. "I thought that I would but I have nothing to say to you!" she exclaimed angrily.

Prue fumed. "Well, you know what?" she mocked. "I happen to _mind_ being struck in my face for no apparent reason. What is your problem?" she demanded to know. "I don't even know you!"

Piper's taunting laughter mixed in with the sight of tears resulting from frustration. "You deserved it!" she threw back. "And it's your own damn fault that you can't remember any of us! So I absolutely refuse to feel sorry for you. You made your own bed and you can lie in it as far as I'm concerned," she spat out spitefully.

"Excuse me, but did I just enter the _Twilight Zone_ or something because I think you've lost your mind!" Prue cracked. "What the hell are you rambling on about?"

"What am I rambling on about?" Piper reiterated incredulously. "I'm talking about how completely selfish you've been by playing dead and taking the easy way out these last five years! You've been reaping the benefits of a normal life while the rest of us have been left to deal with all the dirty work. And now here you are again and we're just suppose to welcome you back with open arms? Pretend like what you did never happened?"

Prue just silently internalized each word Piper hurled in her direction. How dare she? This woman had no idea what her so-called normal life had been like over the course of the last year. It had practically been a nightmare between her daughter's abduction and the accusations she had been forced to live with resulting from it. And now all this. Piper just watched the different emotions that appeared to dance over her face.

"Look, I don't _need_ you to welcome me back with anything," Prue answered back defiantly. "And how dare you presume to know anything about my life?" There was a touch of animosity laced into her tone as she spoke the last sentence.

"A-huh, right. Well, I guess the good thing in this is that at least those feelings are mutual. Because you certainly wouldn't have a damn clue about my life right now or what we've had to go through!" retorted Piper, in response to her sister's remarks. "And you're right, I don't know anything about your life either," she conceded. "But you know what? I don't want to and I don't care. Because it was your decision to make it that way, not mine! Or Phoebe's!"

Prue felt frustrated by the woman's incessant need to speak around the truth. Why couldn't she just come out and tell her what she thought Prue had done that was so wrong? Where were the facts, a background story? Instead she was too emotionally entrenched in her own ranting that all she managed to do was cast empty accusations in Prue's direction. Unfortunately, accusations Prue couldn't defend herself against because she had no idea what this woman was talking about. She wanted the answers but this wasn't helping her to get them. It left her feeling lost, angry, and even more confused.

"Look. If there's something you think you have to say to me, why don't you just say it?" Prue challenged. "Stop talking in circles."

"I have nothing else to say to you and I wouldn't even waste my time trying to explain it," Piper countered heatedly. "Because as far as I'm concerned, my sister died five years ago and she's still dead."

"Your sister?" Prue parroted, her brows contorting. "What exactly does _she_ have to do with me?" she interrogated.

Piper shook her head, her voice suddenly taking on an eerie sound of calamity. "Nothing. That's the problem. Because the sister I once knew was nothing like the sorry excuse for a woman I see standing before me now. My sister never would have taken the coward's way out."

Prue huffed. "Ho ho," she laughed bitterly. "I don't know who you're calling a coward but I know one thing for sure. I certainly didn't see you coming to the rescue a little bit ago when I was stuck god knows where for hours," she challenged, referring to her time spent in the Underworld with the others. "You sent in, what, a magical decoy in your place who could make himself look like you?"

Piper blanched; however, she very quickly regained her composure. The accusation had hit close to home for her but she acknowledged that she shouldn't have been caught that off-guard by it. Prue had always been quick with a come-back or some kind of retort when arguing and anyone who knew her from their past knew that she would argue to win. Some things never change, she thought. However, Piper had rarely found herself on the receiving end of Prue's stinging retorts, not like Phoebe anyway. So it still hurt.

"Think whatever you want to about me," Piper sighed. She really just wanted this confrontation to come to an end. "I don't even care what you think about me anymore. Because I may not have been a perfect older sister and god knows I've made my share of mistakes but at least I was there. I never ran away when things got tough. Phoebe and Paige always knew they could count on me and that they still can. Leo and both of my boys know that I'll do anything in my power to be there for them. But you? You did run away. You can't be counted on anymore. So now let me ask you, who's the real coward that's standing here right now?"

Prue shook her head, deciding that this was getting her nowhere. "Fine, whatever you say," she relented. "I run and I'm a coward," she mocked. "Okay, well, you know what? Now that we've established that and you know me so damn well, I'm out of here!" she declared, making her way to walk around Piper.

"Good idea!" Piper shot back as she turned around to watch her sister's retreating form. "And don't come back either. We've done fine without you and we don't need you here anymore!"

"No problem. Consider me gone!" came Prue's final reply as the sound of her voice carried back down the hallway.

Piper immediately regretted the words after they left her mouth. They did need her. Why couldn't she just tell her the truth? A part of her was tempted to run after her sister to tell her who she was, to tell her that she didn't mean what she said, and to beg her to stay. After all, as pissed off as she was with Prue, she didn't wish any harm to come to her. And even more troubling was the fact that Prue was still at serious risk without her memory or powers intact. On the other end, those hurt and angry feelings stemming from what she considered Prue's ultimate betrayal wouldn't go away either. However, predictably, the stubborn part of Piper won out in the moment as she decided to continue on in the direction of her bedroom. She wiped at her eyes with her feelings completely torn in two.

_She's done just fine without me for the past five years. What's a little more time going to do?!_

**ooooo**

Paige rushed down the stairs and into the foyer, preparing to make her way out the front door. However, Phoebe was close on her trail as she shouted over the staircase banister.

"Paige, wait!" she shouted. "Please stop!"

She finished making her way completely down the stairs, following Paige into the foyer. But just as Paige was about to open the door, she stopped.

"Leave me alone, Phoebe!" came Paige's brush-off reply. "I'm outta' here and there's nothing you can say to stop me!"

"Paige, Piper was way out of line up there," she asserted. "But please don't leave upset!"

Paige huffed. "You know what?" she finally vented for the first time in a long time. "I realize that you and Piper got this cool, super-duper, long history together that has nothing to do with me, but that doesn't give Piper the right to rag on me anytime she feels like it while you get a free pass!"

Phoebe shook her head in denial. "Paige, that's not it! You know that's not it!" She hated playing the middle sister at times like these.

"Do I?" came Paige's inquiry.

Unfortunately, the fact that Prue had suddenly resurfaced out of nowhere was starting to play on Paige's own doubts and insecurities when it came to her other two sisters. And it wasn't at all like she wanted to blame it on Prue. How could she? The poor woman didn't even remember her own life from her own name. But she couldn't help the questions that kept swimming around in her mind, threatening to drown her at every turn. She contemplated these questions with worry.

_Will Piper and Phoebe even need me anymore? And what will this mean for the Power of Three? _

Phoebe gave her an sympathetic look. "No. It's just that so much has been happening lately and I know that's not an excuse to take it out on you. But I just think Piper's had way too much on her platter to deal with."

Paige stood in her position and remained contemplative for a brief moment, absorbing Phoebe's words. That all made sense but she was sick of putting her feelings on the back-burner and pretending like she was fine every time Piper had one of her moments. Besides, they were all dealing with the same things and coming to terms with the same startling revelations.

"Look, I gotta' go. I'm tired and I just don't want to talk about this anymore tonight," concluded Paige. All she wanted to do was wallow in some self-pity by herself for one night. Was that too much to ask for? "I'll see you later."

However, just as Paige was about to leave, they were drawn to the sight and sound of Prue making her way down the staircase rather quickly. She brushed by them without saying a word and without making any eye contact. She looked upset. Phoebe threw her hands up in the air feeling the need to just give up.

_Now what's with her? _

"Okay, now where are you going?" Phoebe spoke up and addressed Prue after her sister swiped past her. Unfortunately, Phoebe had left the attic in such a haste that her concern for Paige momentarily blotted out Prue. God only knows how Piper reacted to Prue's sudden return.

"Anywhere but here!" she answered in a strained voice. She brushed past Paige and exited the manor while Paige and Phoebe were left behind feeling bewildered.

"Whoa, Tornado Piper strikes again?" Paige half-joked at the sudden retreat made by their oldest sister from the manor.

_Piper probably used me as warm-up practice so that she could really lay it into Prue._

"I don't know but we can't let her wander around out there alone!" announced Phoebe in a concerned tone as she made her way to follow behind Prue. "She has no memory, nowhere else to go, and the Triad wants her!"

"I got it!" declared Paige as Phoebe stopped in her tracks.

"Paige, are you sure?" Phoebe asked, feeling unsure. She released a skeptical look in her sister's direction.

Paige sensed the doubt flowing off of her in waves. What? They didn't think she was capable of handling Prue just because they knew her from before and she didn't? Who were they kidding? The woman didn't remember them anymore than she ever knew her.

"Look, I'm on my way out of here anyway. I'll follow her and check up on her. So don't worry, I won't screw it up," Paige barely made herself audible. She wasn't in the mood for another confrontation. "You stay here with Piper," she suggested solemnly. She moved to exit the manor just a few minutes after Prue.

Phoebe released a heavy sigh filled with weariness. After Paige's departure, she turned back around and slowly made her way back upstairs, realizing that they all had a long road ahead of them before anything felt normal again. Or as normal as life could get living as a Charmed One.

**ooooo**

Darryl made the final turn onto Prescott Street in the dead of night.

Andy sat in the passenger seat, just watching out the window, as they approached their destination point. They had actually planned on making it to the house earlier in the evening while it was still light out but had run into some trouble catching any flights into San Francisco and renting a car. Darryl had figured it would be more convenient to have a car available to them rather than using a taxi cab for a one way trip.

"We're almost there. It's that house on your right," Darryl announced to his former partner.

As the car approached, both men thought that they could make out the silhouette of a woman leaving the home. She looked to be in a hurry. Darryl assumed she had to be one of the sisters but he couldn't quite make out which one. It was too dark and they weren't close enough to see her. As the car was parked to the side of the road, they could barely make out the woman in the distance, walking down the sidewalk. After Andy got out of the car, he took some time to take in his surroundings. He was hoping for some sense of recognition to overtake him, some feeling of familiarity to assail his senses. But it didn't come. Both men proceeded to make their way up to the front door of the house. However, when the door bolted open and another woman exited, she crashed straight into Andy.

"Oh, sorry about that!" she apologized, having seen the man only after she made contact with him. Instantly, she recognized the other man standing with him. "Darryl!" she exclaimed in surprise.

**ooooo**

Wyatt and Molly had both awoken to the sounds of shouting close to the bedroom. Wyatt was the first to get out of bed and he made his way to open the door as Molly had followed close behind. He heard his mommy upset and wanted to make sure she was okay. Molly had also recognized one of the voices. It had been some time but her small mind retained the memory of the one voice that had once brought her comfort and security. That voice was the same voice that had laughed with her, played along with her, read to her and rocked her to sleep at night. A voice she hadn't heard for such a long time but the voice seemed different too. It sounded mad.

Wyatt peeked his small, blonde head outside before Molly pushed herself out. However, as they made their way into the hallway, they were caught by Phoebe who had just made her way around the corner. She immediately caught sight of both of them.

"Hey, what are you guys doing up this late?" she gently interrogated in a soothing voice, as she bent down to meet their eye level.

"Mommy crying," came little Wyatt's explanation.

Molly looked between Wyatt and Phoebe.

"Aw, well, I'll tell you what?" Phoebe sympathized in an effort to gain their cooperation. "I'll go check on mommy to make sure she's not crying anymore but the both of you need to stay in bed and get some sleep, okay? Because only good little boys and girls who get their rest get to go to the park and play," she bargained.

Both children were excited. "Yay!" Wyatt and Molly screeched simultaneously as they jumped up and down, clapping their small hands together.

"Okay, ssh," she emphasized while bringing her finger to her lips.

Phoebe silently thanked the heavens that it worked while she led both children back to the bedroom and to bed. She was too physically exhausted and mentally drained to have to reason with them. But of course, she acknowledged that she would have to take them on that trip to the park because she had promised them.

**ooooo**

Paige was shocked that she was staring at the man before her. After all, he had transferred to New York over a year ago and they hadn't seen him since.

"Hey Paige," came Darryl's quick and urgent greeting. "Look, are either of your sisters around? I'm sorry it's so late but this is really important. We need to talk!"

"They're inside but I'm on way out so whatever it is will have to wait for me. They can fill me in with the details later," she replied.

She really didn't mean to brush Darryl off. And honestly, she was curious as to what could be so important that it would drag Darryl all they way back out to California. But she needed to get to Prue before she lost her. That was the last thing she needed after she assured Phoebe she could handle it. Darryl, feeling somewhat confused by her admission, thought of the woman they witnessed scurrying away just moments before while they were pulling in front of the house. He turned to look over his shoulder and then turned back at Paige, pointing his finger back in the same direction.

"Uh, wasn't that just one of your sisters high-tailing it out of here a few minutes ago?" he tried verifying.

Andy just stood there silently, watching the entire exchange. He was sure he didn't recognize this woman but there was something strangely familiar about her. He wasn't sure whether it was her mannerisms or the woman's look. _Nah, scratch that, it was the woman's look, _he concluded. She reminded him alot of his wife.

"Um, yeah, actually it was," she began nodding her head. "I mean no! No," she squinted her eyes and shook her head vigorously. "Look, I really got to be going now!" _Damn, I sound like a rambling idiot, _she thought to herself. She rolled her eyes while scurrying down the cemented steps, looking for any sign of her sister. When she didn't see her, she jumped into her green buggy parked in the driveway.

"Okay!" came Darryl's over-exaggerated response while both men watched her pull out onto the road and take off. Then Darryl reached for the door bell and turned to Andy. "Sisters," he joked, shaking his head. He earned a small smirk from Andy as well while they waited for one of the other sisters to answer the door.

**ooooo**

Paige drove down the dark road, with the street lights casting a dim glow over the blackened pavement. She could barely make out the trees let alone anybody walking on the sidewalk. Still, she eagerly continued on with her search as she glanced back and forth between the two sides of the street.

"Prue, where are you?" she pleaded out loud.

How could she have gotten that far ahead? Prue was only a few minutes ahead of her and on foot. Suddenly, she caught a figure just ahead, making her way past a white-painted fence in front of a neighbor's property.

_Ha ha! Got'cha! _Paige rejoiced triumphantly, while pulling up ahead of her and over to the side of the street. She leaned across the passenger's side to roll down the window. "Hey!" she shouted out to grab Prue's attention as she passed.

Prue continued walking while Paige kept the car sliding along slowly at the same pace.

"Forget it!" Prue announced. "I'm not going back!" She didn't even turn to look at Paige.

"Why? Do you have some place better to go?" teased Paige.

"Yeah, I do actually. Home!" Prue answered back with a light ripple of laughter dancing through her spoken words. Then she smiled for the first time in what felt like days. Actually, she realized it made her feel a little bit better and helped to relieve some of the tension.

"Look, I won't take you back if you don't want to. But can you get in?" Paige beckoned. "Please? It's way too dangerous to be out here alone," she reasoned, referring to their very recent time spent in the Underworld.

Prue stopped walking. She turned to look at Paige, considering what she had said. In truth, where was she suppose to go? She didn't know anybody else from around here, she had no money, and no identification on her. And she certainly had no intentions of stopping by the local police department with a tale about a demonic abduction that left her stranded out here in the first place. But she knew one thing was for sure. She needed to get into contact with her husband so he knew she was alright. So it was either this woman's offer or going back to that house.

"Hey, I've even got a couch you can use for the night," Paige tried persuading some more, albeit, in good humor. "It ain't much but it's better than a cardboard box somewhere!"

Prue cracked a smile and shook her hand. "Yeah, sure. Why not?" she finally relented, reaching for the door handle and sliding into the passenger's side.

"Good choice," Paige remarked while putting the car into reverse.

She made a quick U-Turn and then drove back down the road into the night heading for her apartment.

**ooooo**

Phoebe knocked on the door to the master bedroom.

"Piper?" she called out.

"Leave me alone," came the reply. "I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone!"

Phoebe turned the door knob gently to find out whether or not it was locked. To her surprise, it wasn't. She opened the door to find Piper on the bed, lying on her side. Piper didn't have to turn around to know that her sister was in the room because she felt her hovering presence.

"What? Is English suddenly your second language?" Piper retorted, sitting up to face her sister. "I said that I wanted to be left alone. I meant it."

But that didn't deter Phoebe. "Yeah, I know you meant it," commented Phoebe. "And that's what worries me." When silence continued to ensue, Phoebe pushed some more. "Sweetie, what's the matter?" came the inevitable question on her mind. "Something has got you really upset. You really came down pretty hard on Paige and she's just as confused as the rest of us. And it can't just be about Billie." She stopped for a minute, giving Piper a chance to answer her. When she didn't, she pushed more. "Is it Prue?"

Piper sighed heavily and was about to respond when they were interrupted by the door bell ringing downstairs. Piper threw Phoebe a questioning look. "Paige?" she questioned.

Phoebe shook her head. "I don't think so. Why would she ring the bell? I thought she was going home but ..." she trailed off as she headed downstairs with Piper following closely behind.

"But what?" Piper questioned.

"Well, she said she would check up on Prue first," she finished.

"Alone?" Piper asked incredulously.

Where was Prue even going to go and how exactly was Paige suppose to stop her? Piper felt some of the guilt return. When they reached the foyer and the first floor, Phoebe reached out to open the front door.

"Yeah," Phoebe defended the decision to let Paige go after Prue. "But don't worry. I'm sure she'll call if anything goes wrong. Or orb!"

Then as the door swung open, Piper and Phoebe were greeted by the sight of Darryl and another man. When they took a closer look at the man standing at their front door, they realized they were looking a dead man straight in the face. He stood there waiting; however, his body language appeared to indicate that he had no idea who they were at all. Phoebe made it a point to take note that while Piper seemed surprised to have their sister's former beau standing on their doorstep in the flesh, she didn't appear all that shocked.

"Um, uh ... " Phoebe stuttered. Phoebe blinked her eyes and couldn't help but to stammer. She looked over her shoulder, glancing between Piper and Darryl and then finally allowed her eyes to land back on the man they all once knew as Andy.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you too!" mocked Morris. He plastered a big, fake grin on his face. "Answer your phone much or does voice-mail not register out here in this part of the country anymore?"

"Messages. What messages?" Piper asked, shaking her head back and forth.

"What? Are you telling me you didn't get them?" Darryl responded in disbelief. "All ten to fifteen of them?"

Piper didn't know what to say. She certainly hadn't received any voice-mail messages from Darryl over the course of the past weeks. Granted, they did have alot going on but she wouldn't have missed one of his calls. She turned to look at Phoebe who just looked as bewildered as she did.

"Okay, Darryl, what's going on?" Phoebe laughed nervously. "What are you doing back here and what is a dead man doing on our front doorstep?" Her face turned serious.

"Well, now, if you answered your phone calls you would know already, wouldn't you?" he supplied. "This is what's going on," Morris explained as he pointed in Andy's direction. "And that's not all!" he exclaimed.

Piper quickly jumped in. "Um, yeah, not here!" she exclaimed.

Immediately connecting the dots, both Piper and Phoebe knew exactly where this revelation was leading. To Prue. Quickly, Piper and Phoebe ushered the two men inside the manor before anyone saw anything that appeared suspicious. Phoebe took one last look around outside before closing the front door and joining the others back inside the house. There was still no sign of Prue or Paige. She silently prayed that they were both okay as she closed the door.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Okay, the sisters' reunion is a bit tense right now but that will change in time. I honestly have nothing against mushy reunions but, for the purposes of my story, I felt this was more realistic. After five years and the complicated circumstances that led to Prue's departure, I figured it would only make sense that there would be more complex emotions involved rather than just feelings of joy accompanied by alot of non-ending hugs and kisses. Also, didn't get to the Andy/Prue/Molly reunion yet but that's coming soon.

**Stay tuned ... **


	15. A Right Day's Journey Into Wrong!

**Disclaimer: **Quotes are taken and borrowed from the sixth season episode, **It's A Bad Bad Bad Bad World Pt. 2. **My own dialogue/scenes will be added on, following the scene. It is strictly being used for entertainment purposes. There is no infringement intended.

**Author's Note: **Through a series of flashbacks, this chapter is going to explore Gideon, how he survived, and the events leading up to his current situation. I felt that it was important to get this back-story out there before any further involvement with Lana and the Triad is explored in the present time. The following chapter will resume with the sisters and any other reunions that are still in store for them.

**IDontBreakBonesJustHearts: **Piper did have quite the tart tongue last chapter, didn't she, **lol**? But in her defense, remember that she's on an emotional high right now. She just found out about Prue and Billie within a day's time and didn't have enough time to process it all before confronting Prue. Basically, she's feeling betrayed by the people who mean the most to her, which is her family. Poor Paige got caught in the crossfire but it's Prue she's really upset with. But no worries. Piper will calm down and begin to work through her issues with all her sisters.

Piper and Prue will eventually reach an understanding about where the other one was coming from. Both of them have valid reasons for doing what they did or feeling the way they do. Plus, don't forget that Piper will be going through an awkward adjustment the others won't be. While all the sisters will be adjusting to some degree, Piper's role is the only one that will change again. When Prue remembers, she'll be resuming her role as the oldest, Paige will remain the "baby", Phoebe will still be one of the middle sisters, but Piper will revert back to being the other middle sister.

**LoveAngel 1705: **Hey! I'm glad you agree and found the sisters reunion to be realistic. That's what I was going for and you're definitely right about the personality attributes when it comes to the sisters, **lol ...**

**On with the story ...**

* * *

**Chapter 14: A Right Day's Journey Into Wrong! **

**(Present: November 2006)**

Gideon stood alone, in the privacy of his own darkened chamber.

His plans had been progressing in an unexpected way but he reasoned that at least they were progressing. He had managed to get a hold of Prue, bringing her back to the Underworld, while still keeping the other sisters completely in the dark. However, he was fully aware that they were about to discover the real truth very soon, if they hadn't already.

After the successful abduction of her young daughter over a year ago, Gideon had kept tabs on Prue's whereabouts. When she had recently moved to a new location with Andy, he had come to find out that an old, mortal ally of the Charmed Ones was also currently residing in the same city as Prue. As fate would have it, Darryl Morris had come into contact with both Prue and Andy. Gideon knew he had needed to act quickly when he first sent Dannon to take care of the situation. The plan to kill Prue, and to prevent her from ever reuniting with the other sisters, had been unsuccessful; however, he was pleased that Captain Morris had been unable to interfere. Gideon had used dark magic to block any communication attempts of a technical nature between Darryl Morris and the other sisters. It had bought him some time and in the end they had been able to use Darryl's presence in Prue's life to their advantage when altering their plans had become necessary. The shape-shifter had taken the cop friend's physical form.

Gideon's concentration shifted. Within his hands, he held on tightly to Pandora's Box while contemplating his current state of affairs. It was rather ironic for at one time he served the greater good and the need to protect it against an unstoppable power. Now he stood in direct opposition, trying to seize that power for the other side. His mind drifted to other thoughts, thoughts about that one moment in time, a moment that changed everything for him and brought him to where he was in the present time ...

**(Flashback: Underworld 2004) ... (Dialogue from season six episode)**

_Gideon flinched in pain as the knife plunged into his flesh. There, before him, he watched as the form of Barbas shifted back into Leo. A man, who's face featured an angry, menacing glare._

_"Why?" pleaded Gideon._

_"Because," Leo seethed through his own gritted teeth. "You murdered my son!" And with one, powerful swipe of his hand he sent Gideon flying through the air and onto the dirt ground. He landed flat on his stomach._

_Leo turned around to address his son, Wyatt. The little boy was trapped inside of an electrical force-field as he witnessed the entire altercation taking place. _

_"I'll be back," his father reassured him as he headed in Gideon's direction._

_Gideon pulled the knife out of himself and rolled onto his back. He began pleading with Leo to see reason. __"Leo, please? You have to understand. I am only doing this for the greater good," he defended. "I swear ..." but he was cut off as Leo swiped the knife from his hand._

_Leo pulled Gideon up from off of the ground roughly and held onto him tightly. __"How is killing a child ever for the greater good?" he demanded to know. "And who the hell are you to decide that?" he exclaimed as he threw the Elder through the air for the second time. This time the stone wall broke his fall. _

_At the very same moment, Barbas flamed in behind a cavern rock._

_Gideon was held, in place, against the wall by Leo. "I'm an Elder, so are you, it's what we do!" he argued. _

_But Leo lifted him up against the wall anyway. __"I'm not one of you anymore!" he declared._

_Gideon wasn't deterred. "Leo, listen to me! You know what happens, you know what Chris came here to stop!" _

_And with those words spoken, Leo threw him through the air for the final time. Barbas, witnessing the entire confrontation, flamed back out._

_"Let me finish what I started," Gideon ranted. "Let me save the future. It's the only way it can be saved!" he cried out desperately, while crawling on his hands and knees to reach his destination; Wyatt. However, Leo blocked his path._

_"You're the reason the future's threatened Gideon," replied Leo. "Not Wyatt. But because of what you do to him. I'm about to make sure that neither one of you get the chance again!" Then, Leo called for the mirror that housed his parallel counterpart. "Mirror!"_

_"Are you ready?" asked evil Leo from the reflection in the mirror._

_"Yeah, now remember. You can't do anything. I have to do this alone!" came Leo's response._

_"I know," acknowledged his evil counterpart._

_Gideon looked back and forth between Leo and his evil counterpart. "Do what?" he pleaded._

_"A great evil!" he answered him. _

_And with that said, strong spurts of energy sprung forth from Leo's hands aimed at the former Elder, as it impacted him. His wails of pain could be heard throughout the Underworld Cavern. Gideon fell to the ground, his searing flesh burning. He addressed Leo one final time. _

_"You have no idea what you've done," was his parting remark. Then he turned into a pile of dark ash._

**(Flashback # 2: Underworld 2004)**

_Barbas had waited for the Elder and his son to depart from the Underworld before making his presence known. _

_After retrieving the items he needed, he had flamed back into the cavern. In his hands, he carried a set of stones. They were very powerful stones for they contained enough dark magic to make the resurrection possible. But the stones could not be used by any demon because not all demons possessed the same amount of energy required to activate them. Especially, lower-level demons. Therefore, their purpose and use had limitations. However, the particular task at hand would not be a problem for Barbas. _

_This idiot Elder is lucky that I anticipated his demise,__ he thought. But now he'll be forever indebted to me. _

_He smirked._

_After Barbas approached the pile of ash, he knelt down before it and scanned the remains. He then proceeded to position the stones in the circular formation required for the ritual he was about to perform. When the stones were positioned around Gideon's ashes, Barbas pulled out a dark vial. It was a vial that contained a demonic sample of blood. He opened it, poured the contents over the ashes, and began to chant in traditional and ceremonial form. The chant was in an ancient Latin dialect. As the words were spoken, Gideon's ashes slowly reformed back into their former natural state. While the chant continued, a malevolent force reached out and pulled his life force back to his body and prevented him from reaching the depths of the afterlife. _

_Suddenly, Gideon bolted up gasping for air. _

_What the hell had just happened? One minute he felt like he was floating away and the next thing he realized, his former state of consciousness had returned to him. As he looked around, he realized that he had become the centerpiece inside of a circular pattern made by stones. He reached up to grab for his face, but there were no burn marks present. And the searing pain was gone._

_"What happened?" Gideon exclaimed in shock. He looked to his side and noticed that Barbas, the demon of fear, was standing by his side. An evil grin plastered on his face._

_"What happened?" Barbas repeated. "What happened is me!" he announced, while dramatically waving his hands around him in the air. "And now, you're mine!"_

_Gideon shot the demon a glare._

**(Flashback # 3: Underworld Chamber 2005)**

_Gideon sat inside the darkened chamber alone and confined to the wall. _

_He had been here a long time now but he wasn't sure how much longer that was likely to last. Barbas grew weary and impatient. At the time, he figured he could hold Gideon and bargain away his Elder powers when the time was right. But there turned out to be one major flaw with the plan: Gideon's powers had never resurfaced. _

_Barbas grew tired of waiting. He was a demon who bargained for his survival within the demonic Underworld. He bartered with other demonic beings in order to get what he needed. This was how he had successfully escaped the confines of the Wasteland, something that Gideon was more than well aware of when he and the Charmed Ones had made an appearance before the Tribunal. Gideon had been left alone for sometime after Barbas had been banished to the Wasteland for a second time - this time right after another encounter with the Charmed Ones and the Avatars. As it turned out, the Avatars had been shielding their identities for a period of time in their attempts to mold the world into their own image. _

_However, upon Barbas' return once again - something Gideon still wasn't quite sure on how he accomplished, it also turned out that the demon of fear served as a fountain of valuable information that proved to be quite useful. Through him, Gideon had come to learn that parts of the Underworld were close to actively acquiring an Ultimate Power base. During his time as an Elder, Gideon was aware for some time that the Underworld had come to access the knowledge of the Ultimate Power but he had never understood how they had found out. Assuming that the demons may come to figure out at some point that it was in fact the Charmed Ones themselves, Gideon had acted quickly. He prevented all four sisters from reuniting together. _

_Rumor now had it that a young girl had been kidnapped around thirteen years ago in order to lure her sister into the Underworld. Apparently, the kidnapped girl's sister was suppose to hold the Ultimate Power in the palm of her hands. However, this revelation also confused Gideon because he already knew what the Ultimate Power was and who it really belonged to. After all, he had been the one responsible to stop it from coming to pass. _

_However, be that as it may, Barbas still claimed that another demon let it slip to other parts of the Underworld that the real Ultimate Power was indeed the abducted girl's sister. Whoever she was. This mysterious demon claimed she had been born from a very powerful witch. Barbas gave the demon a name: Dumain. Gideon stored this in his memory and also contemplated this information very carefully. He was curious to learn more about this girl and concluded that knowing the real truth about the Ultimate Power, and the Charmed Ones, could prove to be an effective bargaining chip later on down the road. That was if he ever got out of here alive, though._

_Suddenly, Gideon's focus shifted back to the stones that Barbas held in his possession: __The Vicarian Stones. They were the same stones that granted his life back to him. And they were also another ancient artifact very much like the Hollow or Pandora's Box. All of these objects wielded too much power; therefore, it was dangerous for either side, good or evil, to have any of them in their possession. However, the one difference being was that the stones offered a safeguard that the Hollow or Pandora's Box did not. Because the stones operated according to the level of magic a demon or magical being possessed, the use of power wouldn't become dangerous unless an extremely high-level being was using them for their personal bidding. The Hollow or Pandora's Box, on the other hand, did not work like that. While it might take a high-level of magic to summon it from it's place, and despite their appointed Guardians, any demon or magical being in possession of the boxes could gain access to the power held within or risked letting what was dangerous out. That was why both boxes had been safe-guarded, locked away with Guardians appointed to watch over them. __But if there was just some way he could get his hands on those stones? They would make another excellent bidding tool against other demons in the absence of his own powers. He often wondered how Barbas had obtained them in the first place. __Suddenly, Gideon was torn away from all his reflective thoughts when the chamber door could be heard opening. It opened to reveal Barbas._

_"Ah, Barbas," he exclaimed. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it today?"_

_"Well, well," mocked Barbas. "I see you've managed to keep your sense of humor during our time spent together. Too bad the same thing won't be said for your life," he sneered._

_Gideon contemplated the implication of his words. __Well, it was now or never**,** __he thought. __He might as well give it a shot. After all, if it didn't work, he supposed seeking revenge against Leo, his family, and the other Elders in the next life was always a possibility. The truth was he blamed all of them for his current predicament._

_"Now, Barbas," Gideon mocked back. "What fun would that be when I could have the answer to your problem right in the palm of my hand," he baited the demon._

_"Yeah? And what might that be?" the demon sneered back._

_Gideon grinned back in Barbas' direction and went for it._

**(Flashback # 4: Underworld 2005)**

_Gideon was ecstatic. He had actually accomplished his feat: defeating Barbas and freeing himself in the process. _

_The Vicarian Stones were now in his possession while the former resident demon had found a permanent home amongst the Wasteland. Again. Successfully, he had managed to convince Barbas to use the stones for power restoration. The suggestion had worked. He no longer carried Elder-like powers but they were powers nonetheless. At least now he wouldn't be as vulnerable roaming around the Underworld like he would have been without any powers at all. While Gideon had held one stone in hand during the power transfer, he had been able to revert the energy and aimed it back in Barbas' direction. The energy had vanquished him on the spot._

_As Gideon searched the Underworld, he was determined to come into contact with the same demons trying to draw out the Ultimate Power. He figured they had to be higher-level demons. So he had used the stones as an intimidation tactic in order to gather any existing information that he could from other demons. However, they all claimed to know nothing about this power or who was behind coveting it. The only piece of information he had been able to retrieve was based on the same rumor he had heard before: Which was that a number of seers predicted that a young woman would soon be searching for her lost sister in the depths of the Underworld. The girl's name was Billie Jenkins. The name was about the only new piece of information he got. __Well, it looked like their plan to lure the girl might work after all, __Gideon had concluded. __But it's just too bad they're way off the mark on this one, __he delighted in knowing the truth._

_Gideon concluded that the best place to start would be with this Dumain. However, as hard as he searched, he could find no trace of him. Finally, with some assistance from the stones, he had garnered a hidden location. When he had, Dumain had been hesitant to reveal anything at first. In fact, he wanted to know how Gideon found him when his location was supposed to be magically protected from outsiders. And it wasn't until Gideon made it known that he possessed the Vicarian Stones that Dumain changed his tune. __Present with Dumain was a young girl. He had briefly wondered if she could be the abducted sister the other girl would be seeking to find. However, that speculation was quickly put to rest as Dumain introduced her._

_"This is Lana. She's the daughter of a former Triad member. One who is now exiled. Her mortal mother was killed after her birth and she never knew her father. I, on the other hand, have had the dubious honor of raising her," Dumain detailed to Gideon. "Soon she will take her rightful place amongst the Triad after completing her task!"_

_Gideon stared hard at the young woman before him. __She had a cold and unfeeling presence about her. Mortal mother or not, this girl did not seem to exhibit any humanistic qualities whatsoever. __But, then again, what should one expect to see after years of being raised by a demon, __Gideon reasoned._

_"The Triad?" Gideon immediately reiterated. "Is that who you are working for?" So the mystery demons were finally revealed. They were still alive and probably the ones seeking the Power._

_Dumain hesitated before answering. __"Well, sort of," he finally answered. "But why don't you tell me how you got your hands on those stones," he changed the subject. "Or better yet, how do you even know about the Ultimate Power? Or the kidnapped girl? It's been a closely guarded secret for some time now."_

_"Hm," Gideon hummed out, as he started pacing. "I have my sources. But I'm not here to discuss that," he rebuked quickly. "I want to know why is it you believe the kidnapped girl's sister to be that power?" he interrogated._

_"Who? Billie?" Dumain questioned, beginning to pace as well. _

_Lana remained silent as she observed both men. _

_"Well, for starters, I know for a fact that she descends from the most powerful line of witches."_

_"Which would be?" Gideon pushed for the information._

_"Well, from the Charmed Ones of course," he released, amusement laced together with his insidious laugh. "The Warren line. From the dead one," he confirmed. "And before you decide to venture on and ask me how I know," he mocked, "I had my ways for uncovering Billie's true origins. With a little help of course," he added on after a brief pause._

_This was actually a startling revelation for Gideon. __In all his time as an Elder, he had never known of one of the Halliwell sisters, one of the future Charmed Ones, to have had a secret child. When? Unless it had happened before Penny Halliwell had died? That was during a time before the sisters had gotten their powers restored back to them and they had been off the magical "radar", so to speak. Penny Halliwell had bound the powers in an effort to protect them but it had fallen on her shoulders to keep them safe - especially after their mother, Patty, had died. __However, if this new revelation was in fact true, a new idea was quickly forming in the back of Gideon's mind. It could possibly be a way for him to obtain his revenge after all. As an added bonus, perhaps he could still keep the advantage of not having to tell Dumain the truth about the real Ultimate Power at all. He continued to piece the plan together in his mind and decided he needed to do a little more digging of his own first. _

_Dumain continued to ramble on with his explanation._

_"Evil has dreaded the prediction of the coming Charmed Ones for generations. Melinda Warren's prophecy was well-known to both sides, before they were ever born. Of course, for our side, this created the big question on how they could and would be destroyed." _

_"And you believe you've found that way?" Gideon pushed. _

_Dumain stared for a long moment, trying to size the mysterious newcomer up. Then he continued to divulge information. __"Rumors spread of an Ultimate Power that would prove to be unstoppable. I sought to seek that power out some time ago. I decided that if I ever got my hands on it, then maybe, just maybe, evil would stand a chance against the Charmed Ones. Every other demon before me who has gone up against them has failed. The Source included. But I've bid my time patiently. It turns out, that during all my searching, I uncovered an ancient scroll from an apothecary."_

_Gideon narrowed his eyes. "You mean you stole an ancient scroll from an apothecary of good magic."_

_Gideon was aware of this particular prophecy he believed Dumain was referring to. He was also aware of how this scroll containing the contents regarding a Twice-Blessed child, had gone missing from the magical community some time ago. Elders held a vague knowledge surrounding the information held within it, but nobody was ever certain where it had actually originated from. Unlike the Charmed prophecy, whom the magical community knew passed down from Melinda Warren herself, its origins were clouded in mystery. However, the prophecy was later linked to the birth of Piper's son, Wyatt._

_Dumain smirked. __"Well, yes, of course. But who cares about the technicalities. The point is_ _this scroll happened to reveal a prophecy about a Twice-Blessed Child. A very powerful child. I thought maybe this could be the power I had been so desperately trying to find. The Ultimate Power. But it turned out I was wrong," he cut off suddenly. _

_Dumain began pacing while __Gideon's mind immediately shifted to thoughts of Wyatt. Dumain continued to ramble on._

_"See, at the_ _time, I was very eager to find out when this child would be born. Who he or she would be and if they would be the power. And then, it just so happened that I encountered a time-leaper who made it his business to inform me of my mistaken assumption. The Twice-Blessed child and the Ultimate Power were not one in the same. They are two different prophecies."_

_A time-leaper? How would a time-leaper know about the Ultimate Power, Gideon contemplated. However, __Gideon's mind suddenly began to piece together the puzzle and his suspicions became a lot clearer. Suddenly, he wondered if this 'time-leaper' was actually someone in particular who he knew during his time as an Elder and whether or not __this was how those rumors about a coming Ultimate Power base had spread throughout the Underworld. All of his thoughts were carried to his past and the secret he, himself, held onto while trying to serve the greater good. The time-leaper sounded very much like the avatar he had dealt with so that the greater good could rid itself of the Ultimate Power threat. This had all transpired so long ago, way before he took those extra added measures before and after the sisters had been born, measures that had included faking Prue's death._

_"How?" Gideon questioned carefully, as to not alert Dumain to the fact that he might already know more than he was letting on. "How would this time-leaper be privy to such knowledge?"_

_Dumain observed the man who stood before him with alot of interest. Then he continued with his explanation. __"Because. This particular time-leaper already held possession of the Ultimate Power Prophecy. A scroll. I only had the one about the Twice-Blessed Child. The time leaper also had the unique ability to sense and travel through time by mere touch. He showed me who the Twice-Blessed child would be when he touched the scroll I had in my possession. He also showed me who the Ultimate Power would be. I witnessed it all through time travel. He gave that scroll to me later on but I ..." he fumbled, choosing his next words carefully, "misplaced it."_

_Gideon felt himself on the verge of seething. "You misplaced it?" he challenged. It could be anywhere right now and anybody could get their hands on it? He felt all his plans to prevent the Power's release flush right down the toilet. He never should have trusted the time-leaper but the avatar had been their best option at the time. He quickly remembered to keep his anger in check._

_"Unfortunately," Dumain began with ease. "When we time-traveled, using the Ultimate power scroll," he changed that particular subject quickly, "he __led us to a home occupied by two little girls. But the time-leaper said he only traced the magic to the youngest child, not the oldest. He picked up her coming power to be of ultimate proportions." _

_"And?" Gideon pushed. _

_"And," Dumain stressed. "the time-leaper revealed to me that it was because the youngest child was really the daughter of a Charmed One. We also time-traveled to the birth of Wyatt. Yet another child we discovered to be born from a Charmed One. In the end it didn't matter, though." _

_"It didn't matter?" Gideon parroted, seeking clarification for that._

_"No. The Twice-Blessed power and the Ultimate Power may not be one in the same but they are linked."_

_Gideon continued to play dumb. __"I still don't understand how you found out the girl's mother was a Charmed One? How did the time-leaper come to have this Ultimate Power scroll?"_

_Despite the time-travel visitations offered to this demon, Gideon suspected that the time-leaper had lied and misled Dumain; especially if this scroll was the same one that used to be in his own possession. It contained something very pivotal to the final constitution of the Ultimate Power, something he hadn't seen in a very long time. This was how he knew that the scroll the time-leaper possessed wouldn't have lead Dumain directly to Billie at all, if anything it should have led him to the Charmed Ones. The Twice-Blessed Scroll must have led him to Wyatt but how did they find out about the girl? If Dumain's__ time-leaper was in fact who Gideon already believed him to be, the time-leaper had already known the truth on who the real Ultimate Power would be. Gideon was positive of that so he made a quick guess. He thought that it was quite possible for the time-leaper to have used the Ultimate Power scroll before ever coming into contact with Dumain. His travels would have taken him to the future, and through the lives of the Charmed Ones and their destiny. Which, in turn, could have led to the discovery of Billie's birth. He could have seen it by getting short glimpses of Prue's life. Then, by the time he encountered Dumain, the time leaper was already able to manipulate which place in 'time' he'd allow for Dumain to see. For Gideon, this seemed like the most probable explanation._

_"He knew about Billie coming from a Charmed One because the time-leaper traced Billie's magical roots during most of his prior time travels before me," Dumain's voice carried, confirming Gideon's guess. "By using the Ultimate Power scroll, I guess. I wasn't with him when he did that part, he just told me that he had already seen it for himself and then he showed the same thing to me. And he explained that her magic was traced back to the Warren line and to the Halliwell sisters. The oldest Charmed One."_

_Gideon was more than aware that the Charmed Ones powers hadn't been restored until right after Penny had passed away. They had lost access and memory to them at such a young age; however, he also acknowledged that it hadn't necessarily stopped demons, like Dumain, from finding out who the children would become one day. After all, their powers hadn't been completely stripped away. However, their magical offspring was another story all together. Like Dumain said, most of the Underworld knew about the coming of the Charmed Ones for years._

_"So this Billie is the Ultimate Power, then." Gideon stared; however, all the while knowing better. __"So?"_

_Dumain glared at him. __"So?" he repeated. "SO, I waited centuries for her birth with the Ultimate Power scroll in my possession. Afterwards, I managed to plant myself into Billie's childhood as Billie's imaginary friend. That was how I kept a close watch on her. Then I had her sister's abduction arranged."_

_"So let me guess," surmised Gideon. "You plan on using Billie's power to defeat the Charmed Ones?" __It was an easy guess really. Evil's motives really weren't that complicated. But one thing was for sure. It appeared as if the time-leaper had definitely misled Dumain about the Ultimate Power on purpose. Why and what purpose did it serve letting Dumain know anything at all? Gideon couldn't figure it out but he did wonder if the time-leaper had the Ultimate Power Prophecy in his possession again. _

_Dumain smirked before responding. __"Well, yes. With a little help from Lana, of course." He turned to look in her direction. "Lana will be taking the place of Christy. We've already transplanted her memories inside of Lana before she died and all we have to do is wait for Billie to come."_

_So the sister was already dead, __Gideon acknowledged. __Not surprising. __But Gideon was still very concerned with the news. Would this ruin his plan? What if this time-leaper had been able to locate the other child too and someone else could get to her before he could? The same child that nobody else was supposed to know about except him and a handful of Elders? However, Dumain had not mentioned finding out about any other children so he figured at least one secret was still safe. __And on another more logical note, the Underworld believed Prue to be dead. He knew he was the only one here who knew any different__. On top of that, the time-leaper didn't appear to be around anymore. So__ why would he even go looking for a child belonging to someone who's not even supposed to exist anymore? _

_Quickly, he sought to put his fears to rest. __"The time-leaper only discovered Billie and Wyatt?" Gideon asked Dumain, craving confirmation. "No others?" What about Chris?_

_"Yes," he answered. "Like I've already stated, because he traveled through and past the boundaries of time, he could sense where the magic would come from it time before it even existed," the demon clarified once again, getting frustrated because he felt like he was going in circles by repeating himself. "And even though I know the truth now, that's why it didn't matter that much in the end which prophecy was which because the power is linked." __Dumain was referring to both Billie and Wyatt and which one would be the Ultimate Power or the Twice-Blessed child._

_Gideon contemplated his words. "Because?" he pushed, just to hear him confirm it. _

_"They both descend from the Charmed line anyway." Dumain paused briefly before continuing with the story. "Although, we had hoped to obtain Wyatt's power too. To match up with Billie's. Unfortunately, that didn't work out as planned seeing as how the demons I hired to steal him at birth failed me miserably," he vented. "Still, Billie's Ultimate Power should make do. It is an extension of Charmed power after all, power we don't have to try and get from the sisters. It's the best weapon yet!" he expressed. _

_This was Gideon's opening so he took it. __"Well," he began. "What if I told you that I knew where to find another child with power just as strong as Wyatt's?" he finally offered up. "Then you wouldn't need Wyatt's powers at all?"_

_Dumain looked at him full of skepticism. __"And how would that be possible?" he interrogated Gideon. "Wyatt is the Twice-Blessed Child prophesied in the scroll. Billie is the Ultimate Power. Both are the prophesized progeny of a Charmed One. What other power could possibly measure up against Charmed power?" Then he paused a minute before asking his next question. "Who are you anyway?" he demanded._

_"Ah, that I won't tell," Gideon replied secretively. "But I can assure you that this power definitely measures up. However, here's the catch. If I can produce the child and her powers, you take me to the Triad," he bargained._

_Dumain thought long and hard before replying. __"The Triad would need to be summoned," he answered sternly. "And they do not like to be disturbed." __However Dumain thought about it some more. It would be better for Lana to enter the mortal world under the guise of a witch, with witch powers, since Christy hadn't been one. After all, how would Billie know the difference? Certainly she would just assume her sister was like her. And they would need witch-like powers to show for that too. It could be worth a shot._

_"Well?" Gideon pushed for an answer._

_"Okay, we try it. But here's the deal from our end. If you try but fail, we get the Vicarian Stones," he bartered as he looked Gideon hard in the face._

_"Deal," Gideon readily agreed. "But I won't fail, so what will you be getting out of this?"_

_Dumain turned around, his back facing the former Elder as he spoke. "Exactly what I've sought from the beginning of all this," he announced. "To become a Triad member. They're the most powerful evil to exist." __And little did Dumain realize, that's exactly what Gideon planned on seeking out too. Before he handed over the child or her powers._

**(Flashback # 5: Underworld 2005 A week prior to Halloween)**

_Gideon had roamed the Underworld in search of a Dogon. _

_Dumain had provided him with this idea after revealing to him how they managed to successfully accomplish Christy's abduction all those years back. This particular demon was the best for the job. He would enter quickly, take the child, and leave without being seen nor heard. Unfortunately, he needed to get to one fast because rumor was quickly spreading that Seers, working for Dumain and the Triad, foresaw Billie being close in her search in finding the demon responsible for kidnapping her sister. __Luckily, he had located one just in time. It wasn't the same one involved in Christy's abduction; however, he would do nevertheless. The Dogon was resistant at first and it took some persuading on Gideon's part to get him to agree._

_"Why should I?" sneered the Dogon, behind his half-masked face. His long, pointed fingernails waved in front of him. "What's in it for me?"_

_Gideon thought about the proposition. He pulled out the stones, rolling them around in his hands. The Dogon took notice immediately._

_"The Vicarian Stones!" he declared. "How do you have them?"_

_"That's not important," supplied Gideon. "What is important; however, is what I will offer you through the stones!"_

_"Go on!" the demon urged, feeling intrigued._

_"You bring me back the child," he started "And I'll use these stones to increase your power threefold. Your new power will allow you to seek out other demons of your choosing and be able to steal their power in order to make it your own," he proposed._

_The Dogon thought long and hard about the proposal. _

_"Agreed! But my condition is that you give me the power now! Not after, otherwise I walk!" he decreed._

_Gideon didn't like the condition but relented because he was desperate. However, the last thing he needed was for the demon to draw attention to himself by killing off other demons in order to acquire their powers. What if he got caught and vanquished before completing his mission to take the child? Unfortunately, he would have to risk it._

_"Fine," Gideon had relented. "But remember the mission needs to be completed on All Hallow's Eve. Not before and not after. Are we understood?" he demanded. _

_"Perfectly!" the Dogon sneered. _

_Gideon wasn't entirely sure the little girl would possess powers but it was more likely than not. After all, they had only partially bound her mother's powers, not stripped her of them completely. So, naturally, it was just a question of when the little girl would develop them. The Elders decided that if and when it became an issue, they would just deal with it then. And the power generated from All Hallow's Eve would allow them access in finding the powers even if they hadn't surfaced in the child yet._

_"Oh, and one more thing," added Gideon as an afterthought. "There's a young witch seeking out a Dogon. She just doesn't know it yet but when she does, don't leave a trail leading straight to you. Be extremely careful and don't draw attention to yourself," he strongly advised._

_"Yeah, I got it," the demon mocked. "Now. My power please!"_

**(Flashback # 6: Salem, Mass. The Holloway Residence: October 31, 2005 All Hallow's Eve)**

_It was around six in the evening when the Dogon made his presence unknown at the residence. There were still trick-or-treaters roaming the streets; however, this was a good thing. The costumes helped the Dogon to blend in with his surroundings when he made himself visible to the outside world._

_He had waited impatiently for the mother and child to return back home. The Dogon had witnessed the father return home some time ago after he pulled his car up into the garage and made his way inside. Finally, the mother and child could be seen making their way down the sidewalk. She was carrying the little girl in her arms, who appeared to be sporting a "Tinker Bell" costume and a wand in her small hands. The mother was laughing as the little girl waved the wand around in the air, pretending to weave her magic. If only they knew, the demon chuckled to himself. The child didn't appear to be much older than three. _

_This shouldn't be that difficult, __he surmised._

_It was at dusk and around seven in the evening when the Dogon saw the mother putting the little girl to bed. The lights went out in the small bedroom and the Dogon waited. He waited until the child fell into a deep, comfortable sleep before he made his way in through the window, both unseen and unheard. As he approached the bed, the small child was snuggled up in her blankets with a brown-colored teddy bear clutched against her small chest. She was lying on her side. When he got closer, he could practically hear the child's small intakes of breath as her chest heaved up and down. _

_Slowly, he reached out his hand and waved it over the child's face. A light powdery dust was left in its wake as it descended over the child's face. This was to make sure the child did not awaken from her slumber. Gently, he pulled back the covers and proceeded to lift the little girl from the bed. At the same time, the small teddy bear that was clutched so tightly in her hand, fell to the floor and landed on the rug._

_With the small child in his arms, he lifted himself off the floor and flew through the opened window to bring the little girl back to the Underworld. The draft that followed caused the window to close shut._

**(Flashback # 7: The Underworld Cavern: All Hallow's Eve 2005)**

_Gideon anxiously awaited the arrival of the Dogon. He was getting worried because All Hallow's Eve would end soon and he needed to tap into the magic before the night was over. They only had until just before midnight._

_In the meantime, Gideon had gotten the opportunity to look over the scroll containing the prophecy of the Twice Blessed Child and deciphered its message. All of those years running the magic school hadn't been wasted on nothing. He quickly discovered that Dumain had mistranslated portions of the prophecy which led to a misinterpretation. __For starters, Dumain had mistranslated the concept "Twice Blessed" and misrepresented it in the singular form. The proper translation was actually plural, a Twice Blessed Generation. This signified that more than one child would come into existence. __No wonder the time-leaper had found out about Billie. He was brought to Billie first after he touched the scroll Dumain had stolen, __Gideon finally surmised. Because she would be the first-born from the generation, not Wyatt. The time-leaper hadn't found out about Billie from the Ultimate Power scroll at all. Once again, Gideon found himself wondering why the time-leaper had gone to the trouble of misleading Dumain in the first place? Why did he give Dumain the Ultimate Power prophecy, only for Dumain to 'lose it'? __However, eventually, the scroll revealed Wyatt's identity too. The time-leaper must have discovered Billie's birth through this scroll and then connected her to Prue from the Ultimate Power one, after he viewed glimpses of time from the future Charmed Ones lives. Then the time-leaper manipulated where he allowed to Dumain to travel and what he was allowed to see. However, in addition to alarming revelation, __Gideon quickly pondered why the time leaper hadn't been able to pick up on the existence of the other child? The one being brought to him by the Dogon and Prue's second child? And then there was Chris as well, Piper and Leo's other son, and god only knew how many more others were still to come. However, if Gideon had translated correctly, which he was positive he had, the scroll appeared to hint at twelve in total. It indicated that this prophecy was a descender to the existing Charmed Prophecy. Translation? These children would be born from the Charmed Ones and they had to be stopped. All of them. __However, Gideon's sinister dreams of enacting his revenge were short-lived when the Dogon entered the cavern, the form of a sleeping child in his arms._

_"Haha," Gideon rejoiced as he stood up from his seated position. "You were successful. Bring the child over here," he instructed. "I need to summon the others!" _

_The Dogon followed his instructions carefully. He walked over and placed the child inside one of the circles that was created for an impending ritual. To the little girl's left, a second circle had been prepared. A third circle, that looked different from the other two, was positioned farther away in the distance. Then, just as the little girl had begun to stir, in walked Dumain followed closely by Lana. The Dogon exited. His task was complete and he was free to go. He had his own revenge to enact, revenge against the witch who had recently made a move against him._

_"Momma!" the little girl had begun to cry out as she opened her eyes and took in her strange surroundings for the first time. It was dark and scary. _

_Dumain and Lana stopped in front of the squirming child, who was attempting to sit up but could not move. The power generated from the circle was holding her down so that she couldn't leave it._

_"Take your place inside the other circle, Lana," instructed Gideon. She glared at the man before slowly making her way into the center and lying down. Then he turned to Dumain. "Did you bring it?" he asked the other demon._

_Dumain produced the book and handed it over to Gideon. __Gideon's hand graced the front of the cover before he opened it. The Grim'ore. Then, he opened it to the two spells he was seeking. An Awakening Spell to call the child's powers forth and a Transference Spell that would successfully strip the powers from the child and transfer them to Lana. Successfully, he had located both spells._

_"Good!" Gideon announced. "I've found what I need!" Then, without warning, he stopped and closed the book. "Now, summon the Triad!" he demanded, turning to look back at Dumain._

_"Excuse me?" the other demon declared in shock. "That wasn't a part of the deal. We get the powers first, then we speak to the Triad!"_

_Gideon smirked. _

_"I don't think so," he laughed. "Do you honestly expect me to trust that you'd keep your end of the bargain after you get what you need? No! We're doing this my way. Summon the Triad now! Or Lana and the child will remain as they are. Indefinitely!"_

_"Let me out of here now!" Lana screeched. She, like the child, began squirming but found that she could not move from her position. It was actually the first time Gideon had ever heard her speak._

_"Oh, so sorry my dear, but that's dependant upon your guardian's knack for cooperation. After all, I hold the Stones and their power and only I can use them to unrestrain you," mocked Gideon. "My guess is he'll be begging for your release soon seeing as his plan is inoperable without you."_

_"You'll never get away with this!" Dumain fumed. "I'll make sure the Triad knows of what you have done and destroys you for it!"_

_"Well, give it your best shot," Gideon pronounced calmly. "But make your decision quickly. Because All Hallow's Eve will be ending soon and I won't be able to guarantee the powers after tonight." _

_Dumain huffed in disgust as he decided to give in. He walked in the direction of the third circle that Gideon had pointed out for him. Gideon had been completely prepared for the ritual and all Dumain had to do was call them forth. As he did, a cluster of smoke divided itself into three streams, taking on the form of three men in black robes. The men stared in Dumain's direction before addressing him._

_"What is the meaning of summoning us here like this?" the FIRST Triad demanded to know. _

_"We were not supposed to have any further contact until the mission was completed, Dumain!" the SECOND Triad member added._

_Dumain got down on bended knee before the Triad. With his head bowed before them, he declared, "Forgive me, my Lords, but something else has come up," he pleaded._

_Then the Triad noticed the strange man in the cave dwelling accompanied by what appeared to be preparation for some ritual._

_"What is going on here, Dumain?" the FIRST Triad demanded to know. _

_"Yes, and who is he?" stressed the THIRD Triad member._

_In the center of the circle, the little girl continued to wail. She was scared and she didn't understand why her mommy wasn't coming for her when she was calling for her help. Where was she? So, instead, she tried calling out for her father. __It was loud enough to grab everyone's attention in the cave._

_"Would someone please put an end to that child's incessant whimpering!" the SECOND Triad member demanded impatiently._

_Suddenly, Gideon stepped forward to intervene. __"Actually, that child, is the answer you've been looking for," he announced proudly. "Her powers are just as great as the power you seek from another," he proclaimed._

_"Dumain, what is this man speaking about?" the FIRST Triad demanded. "Explain now!"_

_Dumain hesitated, rolling his eyes, as he responded. "He knows about Billie and the Ultimate Power, my Lords. But I swear I didn't tell him!" he defended._

_"What?" the THIRD Triad exploded._

_"How could you be so careless?" the SECOND Triad demanded. _

_Gideon stood back, amused by the entire exchange playing out before him._

_"It wasn't me, my Lords," argued Dumain. He stuttered, trying to find the right thing to say in order to take the attention off of him. "He ... he ... possesses The Vicarian Stones. Somehow he found out another way!"_

_This revelation caught the immediate attention of the Triad as they turned to address Gideon. __And it took the heat off of him, __Dumain noted with relief._

_"The Vicarian Stones?" the FIRST Triad member declared. "Is this true?"_

_Gideon sighed and stepped forward. "Yes, it is true," he admitted, as he brought the stones into full view._

_All of the Triad gasped and looked to the other before the FIRST Triad continued on. _

_"What is it that you want?" he addressed Gideon._

_"Well, I humbly seek your permission, to become formally initiated into your clan, and with ..." he started before he was interrupted by Dumain._

_"What? This is outrageous, my Lords!" Dumain exclaimed, turning away from Gideon and looking to the Triad._

_"Quiet!" hollered the SECOND Triad member, as Dumain shook his head in disbelief. "Continue On!" He instructed Gideon before they had been interrupted by Dumain._

_"And with it," Gideon repeated again. "I will provide you with the power that Lana will need to unite with Billie and destroy the Charmed Ones," he offered. _

_The Triad appeared to be seriously considering it. Although, he acknowledged the reason his chances looked good was because he was in possession of the stones. He would be a link in the collective that could provide the Triad with access to them. He had known from the beginning they would make an excellent bargaining tool._

_"Very well!" the FIRST Triad announced. "Your initiation has been approved. Step forward!"_

_"Are you kidding?" Dumain exclaimed in disbelief. "We don't even know if he's telling the truth. Maybe the child has no powers to offer at all?" he argued._

_"Dumain!" warned the FIRST Triad member. "So help you, if you interrupt us again!" _

_Dumain backed off and displayed his annoyance in silence. __As Gideon approached the circle and stepped inside, a laying of the hands was performed by all Triad members. In addition to this display, the Triad chanted until Gideon's induction ceremony had completed. When the ritual was completed, he was provided with his very own robe, announcing to everyone who he had become._

_"Now, Gideon, is your name?" the FIRST Triad started. "As a newly inducted member, you shall remain behind in the shadows and keep a watch over the mission. Report to us if anything is amiss!"_

_Dumain huffed with his arms crossed in a defensive posture. He could not believe that Gideon had just accomplished in minutes what he had sought in centuries. The Triad turned to address him._

_"Now, Dumain, our offer still stands," the FIRST Triad reinforced to him. "As soon as the mission is successfully completed, you may become one of us," he reaffirmed. "Now, we must go! I trust the three of you will be able to work together to accomplish our goal!" _

_And with that said, the three members quickly vanished into the cluster of smoke from whence they came. __Gideon slowly glided back to his former position and took the Grim'ore in hand. A gloating expression was plastered on his face and thrown in Dumain's direction just for the satisfaction of seeing him squirm. _

_"Now, where were we?" Gideon announced. "Oh, yes. The transfer ritual!"_

_And as Gideon performed the ritual just before All Hallow's Eve ended, he had successfully awakened and transferred the powers from the child to Lana. Phase One was completed. Now they just needed to plant Lana as the bait. So they could draw Billie to her._

**(Flashback # 8: UnderWorld Spring 2006)**

_Several months had passed as Gideon, Dumain, and Lana waited for all of their plans to unfold. _

_They had decided to keep the little girl alive since they didn't want to risk the possibility of losing access to her powers if something were to happen to her. Instead, they opted to lock her inside of her own chamber in which they fed and kept her hydrated. But she was kept there alone and only until her use would run out. __Gideon had also made it his business to clean up any loose ends. Billie had already tied up one of them for him. It appeared that shortly after the Dogon had completed his task to kidnap the little girl, Billie had tracked him and vanquished him. __However, that still left some more unfinished business. For instance, the other Dogon responsible for taking Christy and the demon who froze and collected him. The whole Underworld was aware by now that the Charmed Ones had faked their own deaths, in the wake of Zankou's temporary reign, and that Billie was now working beside them. __Various parts of the Underworld viewed Billie as a threat that needed to be eliminated because of her quest leading to their deaths._

_Lana, in the meantime, had replaced Christy in her place of imprisonment and she waited. She waited for the moment when Billie would attempt a rescue. The "N" clan, a clan made up of scatter demons, had been appointed by the Triad to watch over Christy during her entire time spent in the Underworld. That was until her death. But the "N" clan was none the wiser. They weren't even aware that her death had occurred, let alone, that a switch had taken place. However, they were only on a need-to-know basis anyway. In fact, the rest of the slumbering Triad were unaware that Lana had already traded places with Christy when the "N" clan summoned them, believing they had lost Christy. The Triad's fears were quickly put to rest when Gideon and Dumain informed the rest of the members of the truth. It was Lana who had disappeared, not Christy, because their plan had been put into motion._

_But, finally, Billie had come. And she had brought Lana back with her, to the mortal world and to the Halliwell Manor. The games were about to begin._

**(Flashback # 9: Underworld 2006)**

_It was all a disaster. A complete and utter failure. How could they have come so close only to fail? _

_Dumain had been vanquished, along with Lana and the rest of the Triad. Gideon knew that it wouldn't be permanent for any of the Triad members but he would have to wait for their resurrection to complete and begin working on another plan of action. He would not be denied his revenge. Not when he had come this far and sacrificed so much in the process._

_He would see to the downfall of The Charmed Ones and The Twice Blessed Generation if it was the last thing he ever did in his new demonic life._

**(Present: November 2006)**

Gideon was pulled out of his trance when screams of torture could be heard traveling into the cavern. Quickly, he placed Pandora's Box back into its secret location, a location in which the Vicarian Stones were also kept hidden. Then he exited the chamber in a hurry only to find Lana attempting a traditional, demonic interrogation.

"I said, tell me who took the witches?" she demanded of the demonic guard, who was hung up in the air before her. Other demons surrounding him where there to assist her in the physcial intimidation aspect.

"We didn't know," the demon pleaded. "Please! We thought it was you!" he wailed. "I ran as soon as they took out the other guards!"

"Coward!" she sneered loudly, taking her fist and piercing it through the demon, ending the interrogation session for good. His wails were followed by his body flaming up and turning to dust.

"What is going on?" demanded Gideon as he approached the scene of the former interrogation. All of the demons turned to face him.

"What's going on?" Lana answered rather defiantly. "What's going on is that somebody has impersonated me and freed the witches! All of them!"

"What?" Gideon demanded. He was now fuming.

"That's right! You heard me!" she confirmed. "Now what are we supposed to tell the others?"

"We don't!" he decreed as he turned back around walking with a sense of purpose. "We find another way to get them back otherwise we alter the stages of our plan."

Lana followed behind Gideon as both of them entered the cavern containing the hidden box and stones.

* * *

**To Be Continued**: Okay, ladies and gents. If any of you were confused about Gideon's role or the sequence of events that involved him, I hope this chapter cleared that up for you. I tried to give the best synopsis I could that combined areas of season 8 with my own interwoven plots involving Gideon and the others behind the scenes, plus how Gideon was working from behind the scenes all along. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.

**Next chapter: **All the sisters come face to face again, Prue learns the truth (not with her memory yet), Prue/Andy/Molly reunite, and the sisters start to deal with the revelation that they are the Ultimate Power.


	16. Charmed To See You!

Thanks to: **Jedi Alanna **and **ShadowWren** for reviewing. I very much appreciate it and it helps me to know that people are still interested in reading the story.

**Jedi Alanna: **did you really think the other chapter sounded soap opera'ish, **lol**? Wow. Usually when I think of soap opera, I think, love triangles. Tons of them, lol! Actually, what I was trying to go for was drama. I thought the latter seasons were filled with way too much comic relief; therefore, I'm doing my best to revive the drama we saw in the earlier seasons. That was the style that I preferred, drama-based with a bit of humor in the mix. The other seasons (after 4) felt reversed to me.

Also, about the Triad. Let me guess, you're looking at the prefix "Tri" and thinking "3", right? Um, yeah, don't lol! Season 8 threw that inception right out the window with the introduction of the "exiled" member that abducted Christy and the plot point where the other three members were going to induct Dumain had he succeeded in his plans. That totals 5 in my book, lol, which means there can be more than three.

Also, it's no different than the Charmed Ones totaling 4, not three. Technically, 4 Charmed Ones existed even while Prue was alive and Paige wasn't there. Paige was Charmed all along otherwise she never would have been able to reconstitute the Power of Three. Yet, Melinda Warren's prophecy only spoke of three sisters not four. Obviously, these things were inconsistencies created by the writers (granted some of them unforeseen because Shannen left the show); however, for the purposes of my story try to think of it this way:

My educated guess would be that if all four sisters were still alive, any combination of them could work in the Power of Three. Think of the Triad in the same light. There can be certain multi-members in the collective but they operate in pairs of three and can interchange their partners.

* * *

**Chapter 15: Charmed To See You!**

Phoebe raced upstairs to find out what was taking her sister so long.

Honestly, it had been a very strange twenty-four hours. Within this time frame, they had discovered a niece, escaped the Underworld, recovered a dead sister, fought amongst themselves, and now their former, believed-to-be-dead, childhood playmate from next-door was sitting in their living room, anxiously awaiting their return. Although, just like Prue, Andy appeared to have no memory regarding his real or former identity. He was going by the name of Michael.

_Yeah, strange didn't even begin to cover it, _corrected Phoebe.

However, if her sister's recent behavior was any indication, Phoebe was beginning to strongly suspect that Piper knew more than she was saying to the rest of them. Phoebe just wished she would spill it already because whatever she was keeping inside, it was making her sister uptight and short-tempered. Which in turn, was making everyone else around her miserable. Piper had listened intently alongside her sister to the story Darryl and Andy told but had remained completely silent and Phoebe could read her sister's body language. She knew there was something on Piper's mind that she wanted to share but didn't. The good news in it all was that Darryl had handled the tough part. He had already taken the initiative to inform Andy of their past, who they all were, and why Prue had been taken. After all, what else could Darryl have done? Andy had witnessed demons using their powers and abducting Prue, in the middle of an alley, during broad daylight. Therefore, luckily, they hadn't been put in a position to prove to him that magic existed.

_Thank god, _Phoebe praised. _The last thing we needed was another freak out session._

Throughout the discussion, Andy remained solemn and quiet. However, he mostly relieved when he finally received the news that Prue was indeed safe; that they had found her. Now, Piper and Phoebe were the ones left hoping that Paige could say the same thing. Especially after they had just made it a point to reassure Andy. As for Phoebe, the tale that Darryl and Andy shared left her feeling lost and even more confused. Apparently, Prue and Andy were married the past five years, but under the guise of Michael and Marie Holloway. She didn't understand how any of it was even possible. Were Prue and Andy ever really dead? Who gave them new identities? The Elders? That seemed like the most plausible explanation to explain why both Prue and Andy were alive and walking around in the flesh. Perhaps they found out Prue was still alive and rescued her from the Underworld? But what about Andy and more importantly, why keep it a secret?

After checking the second floor and finding no sign of Piper anywhere, Phoebe decided to look in the attic. It was the last logical conclusion after checking bedrooms and bathrooms. As Phoebe made her way there, she thought she heard a beeping sound emanating from what she quickly concluded was her cell phone. Then, it dawned on her that she had a voice-mail.

_Maybe it's Paige letting me know everything's okay? _

During the talk downstairs, Phoebe had placed her phone on vibrate so they wouldn't be disturbed. She stopped in her tracks as she played the voice-mail ...

_"Hey, Pheebs? Paige here. Everything's fine so you can relax, okay? Prue's safe, she's with me, but she's going to spend the night at my place. I told her she could have the couch. Oh, and I bumped into Darryl on the way out so call me later and let me know what that was all about. Sooo tired, so I'll catch you later. Bye." _

When the message ended, Phoebe pushed delete. She was relieved because that was one less problem they had to worry about for the rest of the night. She resumed her walk back in the direction of the attic and when she finally entered, she saw Piper on the floor. Boxes were surrounding her. Whenever she pulled out items that were not relevant to her search, they were discarded and shoved to the side.

"That was Paige," Phoebe announced gently, as she walked over to her sister and stood behind her. "Prue's with her at the apartment."

"Uh-huh. Okay," came Piper's muttered reply, while she was preoccupied with her search. She didn't bother to turn around or look at her sister.

_Well, at least she's not shouting, so that's an improvement, _Phoebe told herself. She released a heavy sigh as she brought herself down to sit on the floor beside her.

"What'cha looking for?" she asked, picking up one of the boxes and looking inside, moving stuff around. Alot of it were just some antique items collected from over the generations mixed in with remnants of their own past.

"I already looked in that one," Piper replied firmly after she saw Phoebe looking through it. "Here, try this one!" she instructed as she leaned to the other side of her, reaching for a different box.

"Um, okay," said Phoebe as she reached over to take the box. "So, what are we looking for?" she asked with a light laugh mixed in.

"Uh, well, memorabilia," Piper answered back. "You know, the usual. Photo albums, diaries, letters! Anything to help Andy or Prue remember something," she encouraged.

Phoebe nodded her head. "Right. Okay. But, honey, I think Darryl supplied Andy with more than enough proof to suggest to him what their real identities could be. And he still doesn't remember so, I'm not so sure we're going to have much more luck."

"Ha ha! Here we go!" Piper exclaimed as she pulled a giant, leather-covered album from a box. Phoebe's statement went completely ignored.

Phoebe moved in a little closer as Piper opened the photo album and began looking through it. They passed over many pictures, pictures that included Grams and their mom as a child, as a teenager, and finally pictures with them. Some of the pictures featured all three sisters growing up, while others captured them alone. It was a bittersweet moment as Piper and Phoebe momentarily became entrenched with memories from their past.

"Hey, I remember this one!" exclaimed Piper while she pointed to a picture that featured her own tenth birthday party celebration.

Phoebe looked over and smiled. "Oh, yeah!" she laughed. "The cake fight. Whoa, Grams must of had a heart attack cleaning up that mess."

Piper smiled along with her.

The picture featured Prue, Piper, and Phoebe all drenched in birthday cake. Their young faces and hands plastered with the cake while the three young sisters made funny faces together. Piper smiled at the memory. How had they gone from this to where they were right now, she wondered. She continued to flip through the pages of the album until she came upon a picture she thought might be useful.

"Here's a picture of Prue and Andy at the spring dance," she announced to Phoebe.

Phoebe scanned the photograph with her eyes. "Wait, the spring dance?" she questioned her older sister.

"Yeah, it was Andy's senior year before going off to college and Prue's junior year," Piper explained. "Andy graduated a year before her, remember? And I think I remember that they actually broke up when school ended that year," she finished.

Suddenly, both sisters grew quiet and reflective as they contemplated this particular time period. Finally, Phoebe was the first one to speak with the one question plaguing her thoughts.

"Yeah. I really don't remember too much about their relationship but he's got to be Billie's father, right?" she asked.

Piper sighed. "Yeah, from what I can remember, he had to be. Prue only had that one serious relationship in high school. And she was arguing with Grams alot around that time when she made Prue stop seeing him. That was probably the reason," she surmised. "Prue didn't date anybody else until the end of her senior year."

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Oh, right! You mean, _Mister I don't know how to keep my hands to myself_? Yeah, I remember. How could I forget? Grams went ballistic when she found out what he did to Prue."

Prue had taken a temporary detour into liking the bad boy type with the reputation soon after Andy. Piper had often wondered whether it was because her slightly, older, teenaged sister fell into that trap of believing she could be the one to "fix" him or if it had more to do with the fact that he was the complete opposite of Andy. Piper suspected it had a lot more to do with the latter but at the time, an almost eighteen year old Prue claimed she felt more free and alive then she ever had before. Of course, all that talk came to a screeching halt the one night Prue's current beau lost control during a heated argument and he tried choking her.

Phoebe paused before the next thought struck her. "By the way, how is it that Prue could have gone from loving someone like Andy to loving someone like that?" she added while shuddering in disbelief. "I always thought there was something creepy about him and I was twelve!"

"Almost thirteen," Piper corrected with an amused grin. "And he was creepy."

"Well, whatever. You get the point!" she waved her hand in the air dismissively and Piper laughed in response. Then, it went silent again before Phoebe continued.

"So, I gather Andy never knew?" surmised Phoebe. "Which brings us to the question, how do we break the news to either one of them?" She shook her head in deep thought.

"No, I'm pretty sure Prue never told him," Piper responded. "Grams kept it hidden from us and she probably didn't want Prue running off with Andy to get married that young. Not when she had her looking after us and with our Charmed destiny hanging on the line?" Piper sighed before continuing. "As for the rest, we'll just deal with it as it comes. It's probably best to wait until Billie's ready to open up that can of worms anyway!"

"I guess," Phoebe relented as she thought about all the secrets and the position it put them in. Then, she sighed and released the growing anxiety. "We should get back downstairs," she finally suggested as she stood back up.

Piper stood up as well. "Yeah, let's go," she agreed as she looked over the mess she had made. She held the photo album in her arms. "But I am not cleaning this up until sometime tomorrow," she added.

Both women laughed as they left the attic.

**ooooo**

Andy sat in the living room, feeling very anxious and nervous. The two sisters he had spoken with made it a point to reassure him that his wife was safe, but he much preferred to see that for himself. And the sooner the better. He shifted uncomfortably in his sitting position. Darryl, who was seated next to him, leaned across and whispered to him.

"You know, you shouldn't have left out the part about your missing daughter. They might be able to help," Darryl insisted quite eagerly to his former partner.

"Yeah, well, I'm not so sure about anything right now," responded Andy with a shake of his head. Andy felt the tension course through his body as he stood up and started pacing the living room. "And let me tell you, the more I find out, the weirder it feels. I mean, am I Michael? Or am I Andy Do I call my wife Prue or Marie?" He huffed. "C'mon! Demons and witches and god knows what else is out there?"

Darryl sympathized with his friend's dilemma.

"Look, buddy, I know this is rough. It's alot to deal with but you'll get through it. And whether they feel like it to you or not, they're family and they're not going to turn their backs. They'll want to help, trust me," he tried reassuring. "But, in order for that to happen, you've got to be truthful about everything," he added.

"Well, maybe," Andy relented slightly. "But the truth can wait until later in the morning. I'm beat! What is it like after one?" he exclaimed as he went to look at his watch.

At the same time, Piper and Phoebe came back down the stairs. Phoebe held a pillow and blanket in hand as both sisters made their way back into the living room.

"Okay," Phoebe announced while placing the blanket and pillow onto the couch. "One of you is free to take the couch for the night," she began. "Billie's spending the night at her dorm so that frees up a bed ..." but she was cut off by Darryl.

"Nah, it's alright Phoebe. I already rented out a room. But thanks anyway," he volunteered.

"Oh! Okay. I guess that gives me the room for tonight." Then Phoebe turned to look at Andy. "Uh, Andy?" she questioned. However, on second thought, she wasn't quite sure how she should address the man standing before her. "Sorry. Or should I say Michael?" She gritted her teeth together and corrected herself in response to what could have been her mistaken assumption.

Andy smiled lightly. "Um, I guess at this point it really doesn't matter," he answered her. "If Andy is more comfortable for you, go for it!" He reached out to accept the blanket and pillow that was offered to them. "Thanks," he replied with gratitude.

"Okay then," supplied Piper who was standing next to Phoebe. "Um, I dug this out of storage, so you're free to take a look at it whenever you'd like," she offered as she placed the photo album on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Maybe something in it will jog your memory, you never know?" she suggested lightly.

Andy smiled. "Yeah, maybe," he muttered.

"So, I guess I'll head to bed, it's late. Leo's already sleeping. But, uh," she stuttered "it's good to see you again, Andy. We'll see you in the morning." Gently, she issued him a small wave before heading in the direction of the stairs. It felt awkward being in the same room with him again after so much time had passed.

"Night," Andy said as he waved back.

"Yeah, and I got a call from Paige and Prue's definitely with her, so please don't worry. All of us can meet up later after we get some sleep," Phoebe reassured, nodding her head. "So, huh, goodnight," she declared with a goofy smile, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the whole situation herself. She walked over and offered him a light hug which he accepted. "It's good to have you back," she acknowledged.

"Yeah, I'll be heading out too," announced Darryl. He turned to look at Andy. "Let me know how everything works out," he replied sincerely. He patted his friend's back on his way out.

"Will do," answered Andy.

He smiled and waved to Darryl who was now leaving to exit the manor. Phoebe, also, left to go back upstairs and get some much needed rest. Andy was left alone with his own thoughts.

_Sleep is the furthest thing from my mind, _he thought as he looked around.

As he sat back down on the couch, his curiosity awoken, he slowly pulled the album towards him and opened it. Drifting through the pages, he stopped upon some photographs taken at a dance. The boyish grin held within one picture looked familiar, very much like his own. And to his side, stood a younger version of his wife, with a shy smile. She looked very pretty in her ivory gown, her beautiful long, locks of raven hair flowing down her sides, complimenting the dress. Andy's guess was that it had to be a high school dance. They both appeared to be teenagers. Then, he came upon a more recent portrait resembling his wife. It was clearly taken by a professional photographer and the image still featured the long, wavy, raven hair, the blueish-green eyes, and the bright smile. A smile he missed terribly.

Andy yawned and realized for the first time, that the need for sleep was finally taking over. And as he went to turn the lights off, he left the photo album wide open on the table, with his wife's picture plastered across the page. Then, surrounded by silent darkness, he proceeded to lie down and drift off to sleep. The only evidence of light was the small glow cast off by the moon as it shined through the window shades.

**ooooo**

Prue awoke to the sounds of birds chirping and the early morning rays making their way through the small window just behind the couch. The humming sound of the refrigerator in the kitchen, a few feet away, made it's way into the small living room area and Prue's ears. Slowly, she yawned and allowed herself to stretch before sitting up and looking around.

_Small but cozy, _she thought as she nodded her head in approval.

She realized out of the blue that she needed a bathroom. Prue left the couch in search of it, sporting an over-sized, button down shirt on loan from Paige from the night before. As she left the living room, she decided to investigate down the small, slender hallway that connected the kitchen with the small dining room area.

_It has to be around here somewhere._

Then, in the middle of the hallway, she came into contact with a small, closed door. _Well, it's either a bathroom or closet, _she concluded. But just as she was about to reach for the door and check it out, the door bolted open startling her and causing her to jump back.

"Hey Paige, we're outta' ... whoa!" the man shouted, jumping back at the sight of Prue standing in front of him. He had a tooth brush jammed inside his mouth with toothpaste foaming at the mouth. He was barely audible as he reached behind him, grabbing for an aerosol product. "Stay back!" he yelled, aiming the spray deodorant in her direction.

"No!" Prue reacted instinctively, bringing her arms and hands up to protect her face against the onslaught of aerosol. "Wait!" she pleaded. "I just want to use the bathroom, I swear!" And without meaning to do it, Prue sent the deodorant can flying out of his hand and crashing through the small, bathroom window located directly behind him.

Paige, hearing the commotion, jumped up out of bed realizing that Henry probably just encountered their overnight guest. She opened the door as fast as she could and came running out into the dining room. She entered the small hallway just in time to halt the impending freak out.

Henry looked at his empty hand and back towards the window in shock. "What the ... " he began to protest, pulling the toothbrush from his mouth and noticing Paige come flying around the corner at the same time. He pointed in Prue's direction intent on warning his wife. "Demon!" he hollered in her direction. "Do something quick!"

"Henry, no, stop!" Paige urged, reaching him. She took a deep breath, relaxing herself. "She's not a demon."

"She's not?" Henry asked in disbelief.

"Uh, no, I don't think so!" Prue inserted. "Which would explain why you didn't take a flying leap out that window with the spray can," she murmured more to herself with a roll of her eyes for effect. She brought her hand up against her chest and it felt like her heart was pounding a mile a minute. He had startled her.

"Sorry I didn't get the chance to tell you last night. But it was late and you were already asleep when I got home. Everything's alright, she's just a guest. I let her stay last night," Paige rambled quickly.

"You let a perfect stranger spend the night?" he interrogated.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call her a stranger," Paige defended, knowing full well that Henry wouldn't get the hidden meaning behind her statement. "I know her. In a way," she concluded. She left it at that for now.

"Oh," Henry muttered, slowly letting his defenses down. He turned back in Prue's direction and released an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry about that," he tried to apologize. Then, remembering the unexpected event from seconds before, he became defensive again. "Okay, but what was THAT?!" he suddenly exclaimed, pointing behind him to showcase the broken window.

Both Prue and Paige joined Henry in looking over his shoulder at the shattered glass and broken window.

Prue gritted down against her teeth, then made a crack to cover up the embarrassment. "Um, just the draft?" she supplied quickly with a nervous smirk.

"Yeah, ha ha. Very funny," he cracked back. "What draft? And I don't know of too many objects that know how to accidentally go flying out of someones hands from a draft, do you?" Then, noticing the woman's attire, he added to his retort. "And isn't that MY shirt?" He looked between Prue and his wife.

Prue looked to Paige, who in turn, went in for the quick introductions.

"Okay, uh, Henry this is ... Marie," Paige settled on until she and her sisters had the opportunity to discuss the entire situation over with her. "Marie, this is my husband Henry," she concluded.

Henry reached out his hand slowly while Prue extended hers. "Yeah, it's nice to meet you," he offered carefully. But he was still suspicious of the woman.

"Likewise," responded Prue. "Although, more and more people are opting to call me Prue these days so it's up to you which one you'd like to go for," she supplied half-jokingly.

Henry crinkled his brows in confusion. He had heard the back-story on how his wife had been reunited with her sisters. It had resulted from the death of another sister she had never gotten to meet and he was pretty sure that was the same name.

"Prue?" he questioned looking at Prue and then back to his wife. "You mean as in ..." but he was cut off by Paige almost immediately. Now that he thought about it, she did resemble his wife a lot. At least more than the other two sisters did.

"Uh, long story for another time," Paige interjected with a look thrown at her husband.

It's purpose was to signal her husband not to go there right now. She hoped he received the message because she didn't want to reveal anything else until she and her sisters were ready to. Besides, it wasn't information she was comfortable dishing out on her own.

"So. Anybody for breakfast?" she offered, immediately attempting to change the subject.

Looks of momentary confusion crossed the faces of both Henry and Prue. However, they both accepted the offer for breakfast and followed Paige into the kitchen.

**ooooo**

It was a Saturday morning and Phoebe was preparing to take the three kids to the park once they finished eating their breakfast. She had already run the idea by Piper before finally getting to sleep last night and she had gotten her approval. Therefore, as promised, she had to get all of them up and dressed in the morning. Besides, the fresh air would do the kids some good. And she figured she could let them play until sometime around noon, before dealing with all the heavy drama that had landed in their laps over the past couple days.

After Phoebe finished getting dressed in her old room, she walked out into the hallway and could smell the sweet aroma of food traveling up the stairs as she walked to Wyatt and Chris's room. The smell made her stomach rumble and she realized she was actually pretty hungry.

_Yup, Piper's most definitely up_.

As she opened the bedroom door, she spotted two, little blonde heads at the edge of Chris's baby crib. Little Chris was going to need a bed soon, it dawned on her. He was getting too big for the crib and with the new baby coming soon, his parents could probably use it again. Both Wyatt and Molly appeared to be playing with him as he held onto the rails and giggled in response to their childish chatter.

"Good morning," she whispered, approaching the crib to pick Chris up out of it. She planted a light kiss on the top of his head as the other two children scurried to get dressed and ready for some breakfast. They knew today was the big day and they were excited.

**ooooo**

Downstairs in the kitchen, Leo was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. Andy was sitting across from him and every now and then, he would look over at him. After dropping Billie back on campus last night, he had returned home to find Darryl and this man standing in his living room. They were briefly introduced and it had dawned on Leo why the man looked so familiar to him. He had actually already met him, once, a long time ago right after the sisters rediscovered they were witches. He had been dating Prue at the time while Leo had been posing as their handyman. Leo was also aware that the man had passed away sometime ago.

Piper turned around and offered Andy a hot cup of coffee. "There you go, Andy," she offered gently. "Be careful, it's really hot," she advised.

"Yeah, thanks," Andy supplied as he took his first sip.

Leo felt bad for the other man. This morning, Piper had briefly shared with him the back-story leading to his sudden resurrection. And like Prue, he retained no memory of his former life. But that's not what worried him the most. Their memories could be recovered, especially since the Elders were responsible for erasing them in the first place. They possessed the ability to restore them. No, the problem was that after listening to what Piper witnessed through Emeritus and the time flashes, it sounded like Gideon made Andy's resurrection conditional. Which meant, he was brought back to life for the sole purpose of providing Prue with a new one. What would all this mean for Andy now that Prue was back with her sisters and they would need her to complete the Ultimate Power? After all, Prue never really died but Andy did.

"So, huh, Andy," Leo started conversation, placing the paper down on the table. "How are you dealing with all of this?" he asked with some sympathy edged into his words. "It's got to be alot to take in so suddenly."

"Yeah, I guess I'm dealing," he replied, placing his cup back down on the table. "As best as I know how."

"Well, you know you're welcome to stay here as long as you need," offered Leo. "Phoebe and Paige are living on their own so we have some extra space in the manor. At least, for a little while," he said, looking at his wife and smiling, acknowledging the fact that the baby would be here soon. She smiled back.

Andy smiled. "Yeah, thanks, I appreciate it."

"We'll get the answers you need, don't worry about it," Piper piped in, as she served both of them plates filled with scrambled eggs, sausages, and toast.

_There's not going to be anymore games, that's for sure, _thought Piper. _They would summon those Elders back down here and make them give back those damn memories if it was the last thing they did. Otherwise, they could screw off with their notions of ultimate powers and charmed destinies. Let them take out the Triad on their own!_

Suddenly, Andy inquired about using a bathroom. "Hey, um, is your bathroom upstairs or downstairs?" he asked.

Piper looked up. "Oh, well, we have both," she informed him. "If you make your way through the living room, take a right in the direction of the conservatory," she finished directing him.

"Alright, I think I can find it. Thanks," he smiled and left the kitchen.

**ooooo**

Phoebe walked down the stairs, behind the two children, with Chris in her arms. Molly was holding onto the banister while Wyatt walked beside her. They appeared to be engaging in a race against each other down the steps.

"Walk don't run!" Phoebe instructed.

The last thing she needed was an accident and social services at her door whisking Molly away to a new foster home. Not when this little girl's life depended on them keeping her safe, at least until they had an idea on who her parents might be. However, little did Phoebe realize that in seconds the answer to that question was about to come full circle. At the same moment Andy rounded the corner from the dining room area, Wyatt decided to cheat and orb himself from off of the stairs and into the foyer. While blue and white orbs rematerialized back into the form of a small boy, Andy bumped into him. Momentarily shocked by the open display of magic, he jumped backwards.

"Whoa there!" Andy exclaimed, taking in the sight of the small, blonde-haired boy that was looking back up at him.

Wyatt had a proud smile plastered on his face. "I won!" his little voice announced to the strange man he had never seen before.

Then in a flash, Andy's eyes darted to the woman coming downstairs with the other small boy in her arms. But that's not what caught his attention. No, it was the other small child walking in front of her. The little girl wailing shouts of, _no fair_, in response to the little boy's declaration of accomplishment. He blinked once, because for a moment he actually thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. But they weren't. She was a tad bit taller then he remembered and her hair a little longer as it flowed past her shoulders, but that was Molly. That was his daughter and he had no doubts about it when she looked up at him after jumping from the last step onto the hardened floor.

It took a little more than a second for Molly's young mind to register the familiar face of the man who use to playfully swing her around, tickle her, and carry her around on his back. His soothing words used to encourage her to accomplish any small task from riding her bike with the training wheels attached, to winning a game of _Chutes and Ladders_. But she did remember and when she did, she ran to him.

"Daddy!" she squealed as she ran into his open arms.

He knelt down and swooped her up, squeezing her tightly and refusing to ever let go. Tears threatened to spill as he tried to convince himself that what was happening was real. That his missing daughter was alive and safe in his arms.

Phoebe paused at the end of the stairs, staring at the scene, in shock. The last thing she had expected to find out this morning, about the little girl she had decided to foster, was that she would turn out to be the daughter of a sister she once believed to be dead.

**ooooo**

Prue walked out of the small bathroom after changing into her freshly, washed clothes. Before going to sleep last night, Paige had taken the liberty of throwing them in the washer and dryer so Prue would have something clean to wear in the morning. After entering the kitchen, she approached the small table to sit down just as Paige had finished preparing breakfast. For the past couple of days before the kidnapping, she hadn't had much of an appetite. But this morning, she felt very hungry.

_Probably from being held in captivity with nothing to eat or drink._

"Bacon or sausage?" Paige inquired, not knowing which her oldest sister preferred.

The table was already set and Paige walked over with the frying pan and spatula in hand. It all felt a little awkward and somewhat insignificant, but finding out what her big sister liked to eat for breakfast was a small start in getting to know something about her. Plus, when the time would come and her sister remembered everything, she wanted her to know that she was responsible. That she could handle things just as well as Piper or Phoebe. Because it was much better than feeling replaced, not needed, or left out.

"Uh, just a couple slices of bacon is fine for me," she responded with a weak smile. "Thanks." She reached for the small glass of orange juice that was already poured for her and took a sip while glancing over at Henry.

After serving Henry and herself, Paige sat down to join them. Although, there was an eerie silence beginning to creep in. Actually, if Prue was reading Paige the right way, she picked up on a deep feeling of insecurity. A fear of being isolated mixed in with feelings of self-doubt. It was like the young woman thought she had something to prove to her. That she could handle everything she was doing and measure up to some worthy standard. Only Prue had absolutely no idea what that standard was suppose to be.

_Why would this complete stranger be seeking my approval? __And since when have I become so attuned to what others are feeling? _

Prue decided to break the silence before it became too stifling. "So," she began. "How long have you guys been married?" she asked as casually as possible, while using her fork to shuffle the food around on her plate.

"Not that long," Paige answered. "A little over six months."

"Ah. So you're newly weds," Prue remarked. "Enjoy the honeymoon while it lasts," she joked playfully, then took a bite of her food.

"Oh, so I take it you're married then?" Henry inquired on his own.

"Yeah, actually," she answered. Darn! That's what slipped her mind this morning. She needed to make a call home to let Michael know she was alright. "Um, speaking of which, do you mind if I use your phone?" she asked, dropping her fork back onto her plate.

"Uh? Okay," Henry stammered a bit. "But why don't you let me get it for you," he offered all too eagerly, while turning around in his chair to grab for the phone. "Because I know I don't feel any drafts in here and I wouldn't want there to be anymore accidental slips of the hand," he cracked.

The telephone was positioned directly behind Henry against the wall. It was a cordless and Henry took one look at her anxious state and had decided to intervene quickly. He couldn't help it. He had been around Paige and the others long enough to understand the implications of magic but the woman's ability made him nervous. She hadn't looked to be in control of it earlier. When he saw his wife give him a warning glare, he quickly jumped to his own defense.

"Hey, I happen to like my head, okay? And I want to keep it! The last thing I need is for a flying telephone to take it off," he over-exaggerated, glancing in Prue's direction.

"Oh, Henry, be quiet! Your head isn't going anywhere!" Paige mused, rolling her eyes at him.

"Hey! You call for things and then they move. She moves things and they go KABOOM!" he finished explaining while reaching for the phone. "And by the way, just so you know? Now we're outta' mouthwash and deodorant!" While saying this, he purposely turned back to Prue giving her a pointed look and a smug smile.

However, instead of being upset or irritated by the exchange, Prue actually felt quite amused. Her own grin broke into place as she was about to reach out and grab for the phone, with a remark of her own ready to go. However, before she got the chance, a sudden feeling of nausea overcame her.

Uh-Oh! She quickly concluded that the greasy food didn't agree with her and that was her last thought as she covered her mouth and raced for the bathroom.

Paige and Henry were left sitting there, not comprehending what had happened.

"Was it something I said?" Henry suddenly announced, gritting his teeth together and looking to his wife.

Paige rolled her eyes. "Give me that phone!" she demanded, snatching it out of his hand. She began walking in the direction of the bathroom with Henry following behind her. Gently, Paige knocked on the door. She could hear the familiar sounds of vomiting coming from the other side of the door. "Uh, Marie? Are you alright?" she asked full of concern.

"Maybe it was your cooking?" Henry teased against her ear. "I hope you didn't give her food poisoning. The last thing we need is to be sued or arrested for cooking without a license."

His reward was a playful smack against his chest. "I did not give her food poisoning," she hissed in a whisper. "I'm no Piper, but I know how to cook an egg. Or a simple slice of bacon!"

"Ouch! Just joking, take it easy!," he exclaimed, rubbing his chest.

Paige knocked a second time when she received no answer the first time.

"Marie?" she pressed. This time the sounds of throwing up had ceased and she heard the water faucet being turned on.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'll be out in a minute," came her hoarse reply.

At that precise moment, the phone rang startling both Henry and Paige.

"Hello?" answered Paige, as she waited for the person on the other end to reveal who they were.

**ooooo**

Andy felt panic settle in as logic went straight out the window. All his mind could register? Wanting to know how his missing daughter was here with these people? Had they been responsible, in some way, for taking her? He grasped onto his daughter, tightly, while lifting her up in his arms. Immediately, he confronted the woman standing before him, a look of shock registered on her own face.

"What the hell are you doing with MY daughter?" he demanded to know. The anger, carried across through his voice, was clearly evident as Phoebe struggled to grasp onto her own words.

"I ... uh ... " Phoebe stammered, before finally catching her bearings. "Um, what do you mean, YOUR daughter?" she demanded right back, still feeling somewhat shocked by what the revelation meant. "You didn't say anything about a daughter last night!" she defended, raising her voice to match his level.

"That's because I didn't get around to it but that still doesn't explain what she's doing in YOUR house?" he countered right back.

Both Piper and Leo, hearing the commotion from inside the kitchen, rushed into the dining room to find out what the fuss was all about.

"Hey, what's going on?" Leo demanded, his eyes scanning back and forth between Phoebe and Andy. He noticed that the little girl was hoisted up, protectively, in his arms.

Molly, picking up on the change of tone in her father's voice, felt scared. Did she say something wrong? Everybody was all happy and now everyone sounded mad. "Daddy, what's wrong?" her little voice penetrated both the air and the ears of everyone standing around her.

Suddenly, realizing for the first time that his sudden outburst had probably startled her, he apologized to her. "Sorry, baby, nothing's wrong. I didn't mean to shout. We're just going home, that's all," he soothed. "Right now!" he added for extra emphasis. Emphasis that was directed towards the other adults in the house.

"Daddy?" Piper repeated. Had she just heard right? She looked to Leo who only shrugged back in response because he looked just as confused about the sudden revelation. "Whoa, hold up a minute," she intervened while stepping forward. "Somebody want to tell us what's going on here?" she demanded.

Andy reached for his cell phone, hidden inside his pants pocket.

"Yeah, I'll tell you exactly what's going on here. I'm calling Darryl Morris and telling him to get over here right now. And if I don't like what I hear, you're all getting arrested for kidnapping!" he exclaimed.

"Well, wha..." Phoebe was at a loss for words at the accusation being thrown their way.

She turned to look at Piper for a rescue. Leo, on the other-hand, approached her, taking Chris from her arms so that he could remove him and Wyatt away from the scene of the argument before it erupted into a blow out.

"Wait a minute, kidnapping?" Piper exclaimed. "We didn't kidnap anybody, least of all Molly! She was found, in San Francisco, wandering around. Alone and scared I might add!" argued Piper. "So, how about telling us what happened?" she demanded.

Andy still held on tightly to his daughter with all his might for he feared losing her again if he let her go. He realized that he probably overreacted without giving them a chance to explain and he was trying to calm himself down but it was hard. Lashing out seemed like the natural thing to do given the circumstances. What would any normal person assume if they had walked into some stranger's house and discovered their missing child on the premise?

He took a deep breath.

"What happened?" he asked rhetorically. "My daughter went missing a year ago, that's what happened. And it's not something I like to talk about so excuse me for not bringing it up right away!" he vented. "We thought she was ..." he started but stopped as he considered his words wisely with his daughter in his arms, listening. Dead didn't seem appropriate. "Gone!" he concluded.

"We?" Piper asked for confirmation purposes.

But she already knew what he meant by it. It meant both he and Prue spent a year believing that they had lost a daughter. Forever. Which confirmed that Molly was Prue's daughter. Well, one of them. There was still the revelation about Billie to deal with and considering Andy's reaction to this, that probably wasn't going to go any smoother.

"Oh boy!" sighed Phoebe as she addressed Piper. "It was worse than we thought. That means they had Molly all of that time and that's why they wanted her powers," she concluded, as all the pieces to the puzzle were slowly coming together to make sense.

Piper nodded her head in acknowledgement. "Yup! To give to demon Christy and match them up with Billie's. That's how they thought they could take us out," she finished.

"And it almost worked," added Phoebe.

Andy just stood there listening to the exchange before deciding to interrupt.

"Excuse me? But what the hell are you talking about? And what does some Billie or Christy have to do with my daughter? And what are you trying to imply? That demons had my daughter this whole time? Why?" he demanded to know all at once.

Phoebe turned to Piper as they exchanged looks.

"Well, probably for the same reason they would want Prue ... " Phoebe started to explain before she heard Andy break into laughter. "What's so funny?"

"Hold up!" he announced, with one of his hands up in the air. After the laughing ceased, he sighed. "You're not going to try and tell me that my daughter is a witch, are you?" he asked in disbelief. Granted, he had seen and heard alot of strange things over the past few days but he wasn't quite ready to go there yet.

Piper closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to shake it free from the cobwebs starting to tangle up there. Phoebe, on the otherhand, attempted to answer his question.

"Well, yeah, actually ..." she started again but was cut off by Andy who headed straight for the door, Molly still in his arms.

"That's it! I'm out of here!" he declared.

"No, Andy, wait!" Phoebe shouted, blocking his path to the front door. "You can't leave. It's not safe!"

"Get out of my way!" Andy demanded.

"No, Andy, please think about this. You're upset, I get it, but I know you don't want to put Molly in any danger," she tried to desperately plead her case. "But if you leave, there's nothing to stop them from finding or taking her again. At least here, she's safe. We can help to protect her!" she argued, hoping he would see reason.

"Andy?" Piper spoke in order to back up her sister.

She took her own steps forward.

"You can't leave with Molly," she continued. "Social Services will be looking for her and that puts Paige's job on the line after she risked it to help keep her safe. Do you really want Molly thrown back into the system once they find out who you are? Because that's exactly what will happen until they can sort out this whole kidnapping mess," she argued logically. "Then, who's going to be able to protect her?"

A deafening silence lapsed for a few moments as Piper and Phoebe watched how the power of Piper's reasoning effected Andy. He knew it was true. After all, he was a cop and he knew how the system operated. The police departments and agencies were all inter-connected and the last thing he wanted was his daughter to be taken away again. Sure, after a thorough enough background investigation into what happened, they would most likely get Molly back. But at what price? After another one or two years in the foster-care system as the wheels of justice turned slowly? Nah, all that wasted time wouldn't be worth it. Especially, if demons were really after his daughter due to a background her own mother didn't even remember. And, if they didn't even know how to defend themselves against it, how would they be able to protect Molly? Reluctantly, he acknowledged that his best option appeared to be right where he was standing.

"Fine," he relented. Andy released a sigh and slowly placed his daughter back on the floor. Molly looked between her father and the other two women. "For now!" he continued, and made it a point to stress it. "But I want to know what we're suppose to do?"

"Well, I think we should start by meeting up with Prue and Paige," suggested Phoebe. "We need to get everything out in the open, there's no more waiting," she insisted. "I'll go give her a call," she announced as she walked from the foyer, heading for the kitchen.

Andy and Piper stood staring back at each other, a solemn expression in his eyes.

**ooooo**

_**Golden Gate Park ... **_

Both Andy and Phoebe could be seen waiting by a nearby picnic table, on the grassy knoll by the playground. It was positioned directly under one of the tall trees offering them some shade. At the same time, they both kept a close watch on Wyatt and Molly playing in the park. They appeared to be having a good time, making their way for the slide, as one ran behind the other.

Phoebe smiled. She couldn't wait to have her own daughter one day. It was something she had been wanting for a long time but doubted that it would happen. But her faith had been restored with some help from Coop. And now, they were preparing to take that first step in the direction of making everything happen. Their wedding.

"She's a really great, kid," Phoebe offered, hoping to lighten the mood. "We won't let anything happen to her!" she asserted. "And believe me, we've had some pretty tough hurdles thrown at us over the years. But we've always managed to make it through," she concluded.

Andy listened and sighed. "I hope so," came his simple reply.

He took in a deep breath of air and let it back out again. There was just too much on his mind, starting with how they were going to get themselves out of this mess. He felt conflicted. A part of him wanted to just take Molly and run, to be able to leave all of this nonsense behind them. Because, on a deeper sub-conscious level, he wanted to blame his wife for the problems they were now facing. After all, according to what he had found out, it was her mysterious past dragging them into this world. Not his. He felt sucked into something he really wasn't sure he wanted to be a part of. But, on the other-hand, did he really have a choice anymore? He really didn't know. Why couldn't they just have a normal life?

Then, there was the other part of him, his conscious, that carried guilt because of the thoughts he was harboring. He loved his wife and didn't want to imagine living without her. And, honestly, how fair was it to blame her for something she couldn't remember? There were still too many unanswered questions, starting with why did everyone believe them to be dead? Why couldn't they remember anything? Plus, how fair would it be to Molly to just leave? The truth was all this effected her welfare too. Not only would she be deprived of her mother, whom she needed, but she could be facing real danger by leaving. Danger, he himself, was not capable of keeping her safe from. At least here, she appeared to have extended family that cared and had the ability to help protect her. But back home, it was just the three of them with nobody else to depend on.

Phoebe looked to Andy. "I'm sure they'll be here soon," she reassured him.

"Yeah." That was Andy's only response as his eyes drifted in search of Prue's arrival.

However, all his thoughts ceased to exist when he caught sight of the woman he loved coming down the pathway. The other woman, Paige, was walking beside her. His wife appeared to be scanning the area until the other woman pointed in their direction and then their eyes locked from across the distance.

**ooooo**

Paige pulled her green buggy into the empty parking space, the same space that the previous driver had just vacated.

Both women unbuckled their seat-belts and exited the car. Phoebe had briefly filled Paige in on the phone earlier. There had been more to tell, but Phoebe said she couldn't explain it all over the phone which was why they had agreed to meet at this designated location. She did hear the strange tale about Darryl and why he had traveled to San Francisco. And she had found out about the mystery man she had almost run over in her haste out the door last night. Ironically, he turned out to be Prue's husband and a man that was suppose to be as dead as her sister. Weird!

Furthermore, Paige had made it her business to inform Prue that her husband was in San Francisco looking for her and that he agreed to meet up with her at Golden Gate Park. Of course, she had made sure her sister was okay and not too sick to make the trip here. Paige was concerned. What if the Underworld had done something to her before they had found her? But Prue had insisted there was nothing to worry about because nothing was wrong.

Prue and Paige walked side by side. The walk was brisk and Prue began picking at her cuticles. It was a subconscious habit that she carried for as long as she could remember. All her thoughts were focused on her husband's reaction to the truth.

"Do you usually do that?" Paige remarked, arching her brow in her sister's direction. She had picked up on the cuticle picking right away.

"What?" Prue asked distractedly, throwing a confused look Paige's way.

Paige smirked. "The hand thing," she pointed out. "Relax! Reuniting with your husband is suppose to be a good thing!"

"Oh!" Prue replied, quickly dropping her hands to her side. "Yeah, that. Sometimes, I guess. Nervous habit," she offered with a slight grin.

"Well, me, I tend to ramble alot," Paige offered. "Nothing like a little gibberish to help take the edge off," she joked lightly. She earned a small smile back from Prue.

"I still don't know what I'm even suppose to say to him," she confessed, as Paige listened. "And to tell you the truth, maybe he shouldn't be here. He should leave, it's not safe to be near me," she concluded. She crossed her arms together, looking to the ground as both women continued in the direction of the park.

_What am I suppose to tell him? That I belong in a circus because I can make objects fly and people jump? That our lives will never be the same because freaks in dark robes want to kill me and by extension, you? Somehow, all of that appeared to give new meaning to their wedding vows, In Good times and Bad._

Paige sighed. "Well, I tried that with Henry and believe me it didn't work," she admitted, trying to relate her own experience to her sister's. "I told him it wasn't safe but he refused to listen. But," she paused. "Then I came to the realization that he had made a good point. Which was, it was his decision to want to be there. My intentions were good but I really had no right to make him leave unless he wanted to."

Paige paused before making light about it.

"And if the possibility of death staring him right in the face wasn't enough to scare him away, I knew he had to love me," she reminisced with a light laugh.

Prue appeared to be taking everything Paige said into consideration.

"Yeah, but despite the consequences?" she challenged Paige. "What if you lose him? Could you live with yourself? Because I don't know if I could ... " she trailed off.

Prue and Paige both came to an abrupt halt.

"My advice?" offered Paige. "Have some faith. Faith in him, faith in yourself, and even some faith in the greater good. That it will let things work out. That's what I do!" she ended with a shrug of her shoulders.

Then, both women shifted their heads in the direction of the small park.

"Ha! I think we're here," Paige stated, pointing in the direction of the small playground.

Prue's eyes searched, desperately, over the length of the grassy layout. That was until they locked with the familiar eyes of the man she loved more than life itself.

**ooooo**

Piper stood behind the baby swing, pushing Chris back and forth.

A light breeze shuffled Piper's long, brown hair around her face while, every now and then, she would glance in the direction of the pathway to see if Prue or Paige had arrived. After the showdown in the manor last night, everybody agreed that this would be the most neutral place to meet. However, be that as it may, it didn't help to alleviate the growing anxiety in the pit of Piper's stomach. The feeling kept hitting her in waves and as hard as she tried, she couldn't make it stop. She had been so angry, confused, and hurt that it had caused her to lash out the other day. So would today be any different? What would she even say? Damn, she really hated feeling out of control when it came to her emotions.

Molly ran up to Piper, who was in the process of taking Chris out of the swing. Wyatt stood to the side of her. She patted against Piper's leg to grab her attention. Piper looked down at the little girl and offered her a small smile.

"Piper?" her little voice exclaimed excitedly. "I get to see my mommy today! My daddy said so!"

The thought of seeing Prue made Piper tense up, involuntarily, but she knew she had to keep appearances up for Molly's sake. After all, they already had one confrontation with her father and they didn't need a repeat performance in front of her mother too. Children were highly sensitive and tended to shoulder the blame for the troubles surrounding them. Grievances that were, usually, created by the adults around them, Piper acknowledged.

"Gee, sweetie, that's great!" Piper enthused for her niece's benefit. "Mommies like big hugs and lots of kisses so don't forget to give them to her, okay?" she advised playfully.

Molly giggled. "You funny!" she squealed. "I give her this many," she announced proudly, while she held up her small fingers to display a number.

Piper was about to laugh with her when she finally caught sight of the two sisters they had all been anxiously awaiting. She noticed that Phoebe and Andy had already taken to their arrival because Prue and Andy were starting to walk towards each other. Quickly, she swallowed her pride, and led the children back to the area with the picnic table. Molly ran out ahead of her, as she noticed her father heading in the direction of her mother.

**ooooo**

Prue smiled meekly and walked slowly in the direction of her husband, brushing the blowing strands of hair from out of her face. A few more steps and she could embrace him and tell him she loved him. She was so distracted by her rambling thoughts, that she hadn't registered the squeals of the little girl's voice until she felt the lunge and small arms gripping her legs in a tight squeeze.

"Mommy!" the sound of a little girl's voice cried out. "Where were you? You went aways," the little voice suddenly pleaded.

Prue froze.

Andy stood in place, taking in Molly's words and the bittersweet scene before him. He watched the questioning features wash over Prue's face as reality finally started to set in. No words were spoken between the two, but his expression spoke volumes. The voice belonged to Molly; she was really there with them. At first, Prue kept all her focus on Andy before inching her sight down towards her daughter. And she could feel the little girl holding on tightly, not letting go. She felt the emotional onslaught begin to take over. Andy witnessed her eyes tear up and she started to heave before forcing herself to calm down with deep breaths. Her eyes broke away from his but the tears began to slip down her cheeks.

Slowly, Prue bent down and gently removed the small hands entangling her thighs. She tried desperately to remain cautious not wanting any reaction she may have to startle or scare Molly in anyway. When knelt down in front of her, she came into contact with those beautiful, bright, blue eyes that she hadn't seen in so long. Eyes that looked to her expectantly and had been in her nightmares for over a year because of the many framed pictures that became a short of shrine during that time. She brought her hands up to cover her mouth, but a small sound escaped anyway.

"Molly," she muttered. Shutting her eyes briefly, more tears managed to escape. She took in a deep breath, then released a big welcoming smile. "Hey there, baby girl," her voice cracked with emotion. "I'm sorry I went away but Mommy's missed you so much. Can I get a big squeeze?"

Molly and Prue hugged and then she reached out, gliding her hands down the sides of the little girl's face feeling the joy and disbelief all at once. It was the one moment she had dreamt about but the entire encounter felt completely surreal. How had this been made possible? And it had been so long, she actually still remembered them? She had only been three a year ago. The one fear Prue had always secretly harbored was that if and when they found her again, so much time would have passed by that Molly would look back at them with a blank stare, giving them the same distant look she would to two strangers she would pass on the street. Slowly, she pulled back to examine every detail about her daughter. Well, at least, she appears unharmed. In the physical sense. Prue took a piece of her stray, blonde hair, and slid it behind her small ear. Molly watched her mother wipe away at the wet marks falling, freely, down her face.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" her young voice inquired. "Did I make you sad?"

Prue shook her head. "No, sweetie," she choked out. "Not at all! I'm just so happy to see you, that's all," she reassured her daughter. She plastered on another smile, this time for Molly's benefit.

Molly responded back with a wide smile of her own.

Prue took another deep breath and let it out before standing back up. Picking up her daughter and holding her close, she kissed the top of her daughter's head and proceeded to close the distance between her and Andy, a tearful smile in place. And when she was close enough in distance, Andy reached out for Prue and held onto her tightly.

"You're okay. Thank god," he mumbled into her hair.

"I'm okay," she reassured him.

As they embraced, his own tears resurfaced. He bent down to kiss his daughter on the head, who was hoisted up in her mother's arms and wedged in between them. Then, he bent over and shared a quick kiss with Prue. It was a touching scene to an observer but it was filled with unresolved heartache and pain for the small, reunited family.

**ooooo**

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige watched quietly from the sidelines.

Phoebe's own tears threatened to spill over but she used her hand to wipe them away before they had the chance to. Even Piper was moved despite her unresolved issues regarding her older sister. _At least the three of them were back together and safe, _she had concluded. _For now._

Paige was completely taken aback by the entire scene that had unfolded in a matter of minutes. Did she just hear right or was little Molly Prue's daughter? Now how freaky was that? She knew nothing ever happened to them by mere coincidence and she had been right. With her arms crossed, she slowly approached her other two sisters who were watching the scene just as intently as she had been. She walked over to stand beside Phoebe.

"So," Paige started. "I take it that our family has just now grown by four?" Paige joked. She was referring to Andy, Prue and the revelations regarding Billie and Molly. "Wow. And that makes two nieces in two days!"

"Yeah. There seems to be a big sale on those this week," Piper joked back, before turning serious again. Slowly, she turned around to face her sister, her tone turning serious. "Paige, look, about last night?" she began.

"It's alright, Piper, forget about it!" Paige interjected. She wanted to avoid another confrontation.

"Actually, no it's not!" Piper objected. "Listen, you've done nothing wrong and you didn't deserve to be treated like that. It's not you, it's me, I just have some issues I'm going to need to work through so try and bare with me." She glanced at Prue while saying this and both Phoebe and Paige picked up on it. "So I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely.

Since Piper had just given her the opening, she decided to vent how she really felt. She took a deep breath and then admitted what she really needed to say.

"Honestly, Piper, it did bother me. Somewhere deep inside, it's bothered me for awhile. I'm sorry but I can't help it. Sometimes, I just feel like second best around here. And I know you guys don't mean to do it on purpose but ..." she trailed off as Piper jumped back in.

"Paige, please don't ever feel like you don't matter because you do. You're a part of this family and you always will be. No one can ever replace you. No one!" Piper stressed.

"Yeah, we depend on you more than you know, sweetie," added Phoebe in a soft manner. She gave Paige a gentle squeeze on the arm as a small show of affection.

Paige smiled at her two sisters.

"Thanks. I think I just really needed to hear that," she admitted. "But I accept your apology," she added. She and Piper smiled back at each other. Paige sighed, then turned her attention back in Prue and Andy's direction. "Okay, so now what?" she inquired.

"Now comes the hard part," replied Phoebe, referring to their next task at hand.

"Yeah, the truth. I just hope she's ready to hear it," Piper concluded.

All three sisters proceeded to walk in the direction of their oldest sister.

**ooooo**

"Ouch! You're squishing me!" little Molly protested, while they were all embraced in the huddle.

In light of their daughter's small protests, Prue and Andy broke apart and released their own smiles of relief and amusement. At the same time they turned around, the other three familiar faces were approaching them with serious, solemn expressions. Andy picked up on it and assumed this probably meant that they were ready to have a discussion with his wife regarding the situation. He attempted to reach over to take Molly from her mother's arms. Prue, however, didn't want to let go and swayed, with her daughter, to the other side.

"What?" she asked, as she looked between her husband and the other three women.

"Look, I realize the timing couldn't be any worse," Phoebe, who was standing in the middle, attempted to break in. "But we have something really important to discuss with you and it can't wait any longer," she instructed in a firm tone of voice.

"Here. I'm just going to take her so you can talk," Andy insisted, reaching out for Molly a second time. "We won't go far, we'll just be over there by the swings," he tried to reassure his wife, while nodding his head in the direction of the playground.

Prue resisted a second time. She noticed the woman from the other night, the same one that had been so rude and obnoxious. She suppressed the sudden urge to roll her eyes.

_Great, j__ust what I'm looking forward to. Round two._

"Well, maybe I don't want to talk," she argued. "Maybe I just want to get out of here and go back home!"

"Honey, look," Andy started. "I really think you need to hear what they have to say," he replied, attempting to persuade her of the necessity behind it. "It's important. Especially, when it involves Molly too."

"This has nothing to do with Molly!" she protested in a stubborn manner. Her protective grasp on her daughter remained strong.

Paige decided to try and intervene.

"Look, Prue ..." but she didn't get more than those two words out because she was abruptly cut off by her older sister.

"Prue?" she repeated. She spit the name out in disgust. "Since when did you start taking to calling me Prue?" Out of all three women, Paige didn't address her that way. What had changed?

Paige didn't know how to respond but Piper managed to come to Paige's defense while keeping her voice at an even-tempered level. She was really trying to keep her cool but it was getting harder and harder.

"Because that's who you are and you better start dealing with it!" she replied coldly but firmly through gritted teeth. "Otherwise we're all dead!"

Prue just stared back at her. This time, when Andy reached out for Molly, she loosened her grip on her daughter. Reluctantly, she watched as Andy and Molly headed in the direction of the small playground with the other two children, after Andy offered to take them along.

"Look, we can't discuss the other details in public, but we can at least begin by telling you who you are. And who we are," Phoebe opened up.

Feeling defensive, Prue crossed her arms. "Oh, really? And who might that be?" she mocked.

Phoebe took a few, small tentative steps forward and a deep breath before answering.

"Our sister," she announced, a touch of sadness laced between those two simple words. "We're your sisters."

Silence greeted all the women before Prue broke out laughing.

"Right," her denial came out in between the laughter. "Uh-huh. Okay. I guess it all makes sense now." She continued to laugh, giving off a roll of her eyes. Prue clearly wasn't taking the admission seriously. "What are you joking?" she exclaimed, looking to each sister.

But the laughing ceased and her face took on a serious expression at the sight of the other women. They didn't appear to be joking. Piper was staring at the ground, refusing to look at her. Phoebe had tears shining around the rims of her eyes, while Paige's face masked alot of sympathy. And why did she feel like she had just been punched in the stomach with the truth? Suddenly, she felt claustrophobic in their presence and she needed her own space. That and she didn't want to give any of them the satisfaction of seeing her cry because that's what she felt like doing.

"I have to go!" she announced, rather suddenly, in a shaky voice. With her gaze cast towards the ground, she headed off in the direction of her husband and daughter.

"Well okay. That sure went well!" Paige sighed, while shaking her head and closing her eyes.

"Nah, that was the easier part," offered up Phoebe in light of Prue's reaction. "She's strong, she'll come around. The harder part is waiting for us down in the Underworld!" she declared.

"Well, she better come around and fast," Piper jumped in. "Otherwise, we're screwed! Which means we need to get back to the manor and make the Elders give her those memories back," she concluded.

Phoebe and Paige turned to Piper, questioning looks on their faces.

"The Elders?" Phoebe questioned. "What do they have to do with it?"

Suddenly realizing that her other two sisters were unaware of the other details because of all the chaos erupting every minute, Piper spoke up.

"Uh, yeah. That's right, you two don't know everything yet. Don't worry. I'll fill you in on the way back to the manor," she supplied.

The three sisters turned around and watched as their oldest sister made her way over to the small playground. They watched her wipe at her face, a clear indicator that she was probably crying. It had been an emotionally, overwhelming day for her and all her sisters knew it. But they had to tell her, there was no other way to start moving on from this. They needed to unite together in order to defeat their biggest threat. A threat that was still waiting just around the corner.

The Triad.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Well, the truth is out there and it hurts. **lol ... **well, most of it anyway. Anyways, thanks for reading and like I always say, don't forget to review. I'll be back with another update soon.


	17. Deja Vu You're Gone Again?

**Author's Note: **Hi. I just wanted to let all my readers know that this is going to be the last update until the end of July or sometime in early August. I'm going on vacation with my family and I'll be gone for a couple of weeks. I plan on taking the rest of my time before then to pack and relax. But, no worries. I plan on following through with this story until it's finished. Also, I realize that I've been updating pretty regularly so I don't want you guys/gals to think I gave up on the story when you don't see an update for awhile. So, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll be back after some leisure time and fun in the sun, **lol!**

**Disclaimer: **Dialogue is borrowed from the season 3 episode, **PreWitched**. No infringement intended.

Once again, thanks to my loyal reviewers **I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts**, **Jedi Alanna**, and **Queen of Gabb 488**. I'm glad that each of you enjoyed the reunion because I was debating back and forth on how I wanted to do it. However, I finally did decide on the writing direction from the last chapter. **:o) **

**Queen of Gabb 488: **Wow. My story is your favorite? Thank you, I'm truly honored. At first, I honestly wasn't sure whether or not I was going to write it. But I had these ideas floating around in my head since season 8 ended and figured that I might as well get them out there, **lol. **At least, now, I know my efforts were well worth it. **:o)**

**Jedi Alanna: **Yeah, soap operas are drama-based too. Actually, some of the stories wouldn't be half bad if all the love triangles didn't get in the way, **lol! **Anyway, be prepared because the content of this story will continue to carry alot of drama. Especially because some things haven't been revealed yet. Thus, the point of the title, **lol**.

And about Piper? Don't worry, she'll come around, I promise. It's just that when you combine her own temperament with how Prue's death effected her in season 4, I feel it's more realistic for her character to come to terms with it slowly. But she won't hold a grudge forever. Phoebe, on the other-hand, will be taking the other approach. **:o)**

Now, on with the show, **lol**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Deja Vu, You're Gone Again?**

Billie exited her dorm room feeling completely disoriented and disorganized.

It was almost noon time and not only was she feeling the strain from the past couple days, but she hadn't gotten much sleep either. In fact, her head hadn't hit the pillow until around seven in the morning. She had only gotten about a total of four hours sleep.

"Damn," she cursed under her breath, while attempting to stuff the rest of her books into her backpack. The door to her room slammed shut behind her.

The zipper on the bag was stuck and Billie felt the rest of her books slide from underneath her arm. After the books made impact against the hardened floor, an echo traveled down the hallway. And after picking up the books, Billie realized that she forgot to grab her cell phone on the way out. However, when she reached into her pocket for her keys, she realized she had left those inside the room too.

"Okay, this is so not my day!" she exclaimed out loud, her hands up in the air. She started banging on the door from the outside in order to grab the attention of her sleeping roommate.

"JASMINE!" Billie yelled. "JASMINE, CAN YOU OPEN THE DOOR? I FORGOT MY KEYS!" However, her shouts went unanswered.

"HELLO?" she tried one last time before giving up. "Great," she muttered to herself. "It's Saturday afternoon and I get to study for an exam while she gets to sleep off a hangover!"

Billie still had alot on her mind that needed to be sorted through. However, last night, Jasmine had other plans in mind for the both of them. After Leo had dropped her back on campus, all she had wanted was some personal space and time to relax. But Jasmine had managed to pressure Billie into attending one of the frat parties on campus that night. A party that had lingered on through the wee hours of the morning. Billie knew her roommate had good intentions in trying to include her, but drinking her worries away through the night just wasn't the solution she was looking for. Loosen up, Jasmine had insisted. Yeah, that was easy for her to say. She didn't have to worry about the existence of demons night and day. And somehow, drinking and demon-fighting didn't sound like the best mix. Especially, when your life depended upon your ability to focus your magical powers. However, Billie had decided to stay most of the night in order to keep a watch over her roommate. She wanted to make sure Jasmine, in her drunken state, had gotten back to the dorm room safely.

"I'll try again later," she relented as she finished shoving her books into her bag. Finally, she had successfully maneuvered the zipper out of its place.

Billie left the dormitory, heading in the direction of the library. She had midterm exams the following week which meant she was stuck studying for them until something more pressing came up. After exiting the building and stepping outside under the hot sun, Billie bumped into a young man who seemed to be very much in a hurry. He didn't even stop to apologize and Billie thought it was extremely rude of him.

"Hey, watch it!" she exclaimed, turning around on the walkway. "The path is big enough for the both of us, you know?" she added.

The walkway was usually bustling with other students but because it was the weekend, it was pretty much empty. Billie and the young man were the only two people in sight. However, after the young man turned around to face Billie, she received the shock of her life when she saw who was staring back at her.

"JD?" she exclaimed, seeking his confirmation. "Uh, what are you doing here? I thought you were dead?!"

**ooooo**

"Gideon?" Phoebe had exclaimed. "Are you kidding me?"

"That slime-ball!" Paige reiterated, with a shake of her head. "And to think we sent Wyatt into that school and straight into his grimy clutches," she added for emphasis.

All four sisters were gathered in the living room of the Halliwell Manor. Piper had finished explaining the concept of the Ultimate Power to them, what it meant for everyone in the room, and how Gideon's involvement included faking Prue's death in order to prevent the power from ever existing. Everyone was left speechless.

"Yeah, you heard me right," confirmed Piper. "Gideon. Apparantly, Wyatt was his second stop on his journey to the dark side. He started with us but we just never had any idea," she finished.

"Well, how could we have known?" Paige responded back, shrugging her shoulders up in the air. She was attempting to argue, what seemed to be, a logical point. "He was suppose to be one of the good guys," she stressed.

Then, after glancing in Prue's direction, Piper responded to Paige's rhetorical question.

"Well, we could have known. If someone had handled something differently," came the dig.

"Piper?" Phoebe pleaded after catching the glare she threw at Prue.

The last thing she wanted was another confrontation that would lead to Prue walking out the door. They needed to start moving past everything together. And the sooner the better as far as she was concerned.

"What?" Piper declared, in a higher-pitched tone than normal. Then, she lowered it back down again. "It's just the truth, okay? I'm not shouting at anyone or calling anybody names, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pretend that I'm alright with what she did because I'm not!"

Prue, who had been scanning the photo album on the small coffee table, reacted by looking up at Piper. She had remained quiet through most of the discussion, listening to the details regarding the past. Honestly, she had no memory of the events relating to her situation. The same events that Piper had just relayed to the small group and she wasn't so sure that she wanted to remember. After hearing the details, it sounded like she had led a dangerous and lonely life during that time. A life consumed by working and fighting demons. She had been a Charmed witch by day while working as a photographer, but a lonely woman by night. Sure it sounded like she fought like hell to protect alot of innocents and the welfare of two younger sisters she didn't even remember having. But for all the good that did! Because all she heard here was Piper giving her the third degree for trying to keep her alive. Or, at least, that's what it sounded like she had tried to do.

"Look, what exactly do you expect from me?" Prue demanded outright, slamming the album shut. She threw it back down on top of the table. "An apology? Because at this point, I'd be willing to do or say anything just to get you off my back!"

Piper stared back at her. "Well, for starters ... " she began but was interrupted by Prue.

"I'm not finished yet! Do you want me to apologize for trying to save your life or for not being dead?" she demanded of Piper, who only stared back at her. When Piper didn't respond, she smirked. "Yeah, that's what I thought! Do you even know why you're mad at me?"

Prue looked to each sister.

"Well I'm sorry!" she spit out, getting up from her seated position on the reclining chair. "Does that make everything better for all of you?" came her sarcastic response and final say on the matter while preparing to leave, exactly what Phoebe didn't want to happen.

"Guys, c'mom! Can we please not have another fight?" Phoebe interrupted, feeling her irritation grow, while looking between both of her sisters.

Phoebe immediately stood on her feet and Prue halted. Piper stood with her arms crossed while Paige sat on the couch, silently, feeling completely out of place in the discussion. This was unfamiliar territory for her because she had no idea how Prue and Piper's relationship had worked in the past. Before coming into the picture. What possible advice would she be able to offer? Her best option was to sit there quietly and listen.

"We already have enough problems to deal with as it is!" Phoebe continued. "It's obvious that our personal issues aren't going to be resolved overnight but can we at least pull together so we can stop the Triad? Because they're going to come after us whether we're ready for it or not!" she argued, while her three sisters listened.

Everyone remained silent and looked from Phoebe to each other.

"Fine!" Prue was the first to relent, looking briefly at Piper. Then she turned her attention back towards the other two sisters. "I'll do what I have to in order to help you stop this Triad! But that's it. After that, I'm done! I'll be going back home when it's over. That way you can go back to your lives and I can go back to mine. Got it?" Prue concluded with finality.

Everyone fell silent and had no idea how to respond to Prue's pre-determined course of action. Phoebe was tempted to argue against her sister's position but stopped herself from doing it. After all, the point she had made was that they all needed to work together to stop their enemy and Prue had conceded to do that. That was the most important step. There would be time, later, to try and change her mind about leaving. Piper, on the other-hand decided to respond to her sister's bold proclamation.

"Whatever," came her simple reply. "It's your life!"

"Yeah, you got that right!" Prue threw back.

Piper shook her head and rolled her eyes. She knew she was being stubborn about everything but she wasn't going to give into that nagging sensation she referred to as her conscious. But the real truth was that a part of her had cringed at her sister's decision to leave and the thought of never seeing Prue again bothered her. These mixed up feelings were driving her insane.

"Do you think the Triad even knows we're the Ultimate Power?" inquired Paige, turning the conversation away from the tension felt between all of them and towards a practical problem that could distract them..

She was feeling extremely uncomfortable. At first, Paige felt relieved that the Power of Three, and which sisters would operate within it, would no longer be an issue. Because now all the sisters created a newer more complete unit. A more powerful unit. Or, at least it would be if Prue stuck around long enough.

"Probably," speculated Phoebe. "My guess would be that's why they went after Prue. But I am wondering how they even found out you were still alive?" she turned, addressing her oldest sister. "I mean, if only the Elders knew about you? They had to find out recently because about six months ago they believed that Christy and Billie were the power."

"I need some air," came Prue's unexpected response. "It's getting stuffy in here." And with that said, she walked out of the living room. "And please don't follow me, I'll be back!" were the words she threw over her shoulder as she left.

The front door could be heard shutting behind her.

**ooooo**

Andy sat at the kitchen table with Molly on his lap.

The other two children had been put down for an afternoon nap but Molly wanted to stay awake with the rest of them. She was still in an overexcited state, a result of being reunited with her parents a short while ago. But that was just fine by Andy. He was still anxious about letting her out of his sight and much preferred taking the time to get to know her again. Molly, on the other-hand, was engaged in her coloring and when she finished her second picture she proudly displayed both drawings to her father.

"This is for mommy," she exclaimed happily, as she turned around and picked up the first picture to show him the colorful scribble covering the page. Then, she lifted her second drawing in the air. It, too, was filled with an array of many colors. "And this one is for you, daddy!" she added while ripping it from the coloring book and handing it to him.

Andy smiled and lightly kissed her forehead. "That's great, baby. Thank you, you're very talented," he teased gently as he accepted the drawing from her.

"Now, I have to make this many more," she explained to her father, while holding up her hands. "One for Phoephe and Paige and Piper and Weo," she exclaimed, trying to pronounce Leo's name the best she could.

But when she reached for her box of crayons and dumped the contents of the small box onto the table, it resulted in some of the crayons rolling off the table and onto the kitchen floor.

"Uh-oh!" her little voice exclaimed.

Andy was about to lift his daughter up from his lap in order to retrieve the lost crayons when Molly, suddenly, held her small hand out and called for the crayon.

"My blue crayon," she had called out and he watched as the small object disappeared into a swirl of blue and white and then reappeared in the palm of her hand. "Look what I can do daddy!" she exclaimed excitedly, awaiting his approval.

Andy just gave off a nervous laugh and played along with his daughter. He didn't know how to feel about what he had just witnessed but it did concern him. How were they going to be able to hide something like that? Molly was almost school age and would be entering kindergarten the next year. Plus if that didn't confirm that the sisters were telling the truth, Andy reasoned, he didn't know what else in the world would.

"Wow. That's great but how about we keep that a secret," he tried suggesting, hoping that it would work. "Which means, we're going to have to do things the same way everybody else does. So why don't you try picking up the other ones and bringing them back to the table," he advised, referring to the few scattered crayons remaining on the floor. He gently lifted her off his lap and onto the floor.

"Okay," she mumbled lightly not understanding whether or not she had done something wrong. She walked over and bent down to pick up the remaining crayons.

However, at that precise moment, Leo orbed into the kitchen in search of the sisters. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of Molly kneeling in front of him and Andy standing by the table. Molly was comfortable with the open display of magic but her father wasn't. She laughed and pointed at the blue and white swirls that materialized into Leo.

"Weo!" she exclaimed. She clapped her small hands together before resuming her small task of retrieving the crayons.

"Great," Andy commented. "So much for teaching my daughter the normal way of doing things!" He pushed his chair back under the table and walked over to Molly.

Leo furrowed his brows in confusion, but quickly regathered his composure. He was here for a reason and, unfortunately, it involved the man standing before him. He needed to warn them. While everyone had met at the park, Leo had taken the liberty to do some snooping around of his own but didn't like what he had found out.

"Hey, Andy? The sisters are here, right?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

Andy's facial expression turned serious. He had picked up on the other man's tone right away and hoped it didn't mean trouble for his wife or daughter. "Yeah, they're all in the living room talking," he confirmed, giving a slight nod of his head in the direction. "Why, is everything okay?" He felt compelled to ask and, in the process, picked up his daughter .

"I'm not sure," Leo replied vaguely as he looked between Andy and Molly. Then, he turned around heading for the living room and the sisters.

**ooooo**

After Prue exited the Manor, Phoebe swiftly turned back around to address Piper.

"Okay, Piper you really need to give it a rest," she replied sternly. "I get that you're pissed but this isn't helping us get Prue back!" she added.

"I need to give it a rest?" Piper repeated. "Are you joking? Did you not hear a word that I said before? Prue left willingly, Phoebe. She wasn't forced too! She made the choice to abandon us without even a second thought as to how her decision would effect our lives. So how is that my fault?" she demanded to know.

"This isn't about placing blame, Piper!" Phoebe insisted. "It's about moving on. Try to look at the bigger picture here. We spent five years mourning a dead sister we thought we'd never see again. And now she's back with us. How many people get to say that? She's alive and I don't want to spend what precious time we may have being angry and not getting along with her. Haven't we learned, by now, not to take anything for granted?" she argued.

Piper shook her head at Phoebe in disbelief. "So you're not upset with her?" she asked. "At all?"

Phoebe released a heavy sigh.

"Have you not been listening to me?" she pleaded. "Of course, there's a part of me that doesn't understand how she left us behind but I want my big sister back. I'm sorry but I do and maybe it's just the part of me that wants to make up for all the lost time that Prue and I spent fighting but that's how I feel. And if you can't understand that, I don't know what else to say," she finished while looking up to the ceiling and shaking her head in frustration.

Piper turned to Paige. "Okay. Paige, what about you?" she decided to ask her youngest sister out of courtesy. "I mean, I know you didn't know Prue before but you must have some opinion," she reasoned. After asking the question, she cast her gaze down to the floor awaiting her sister's response.

Paige shrugged her shoulders, looking between both Piper and Phoebe. Sure, she had an opinion. But she wasn't expecting to be put on the spot and admit to what it was. And more importantly, she didn't want to be put in a position to take sides. While sitting on the arm of the couch, she lifted her hands from off her lap, a gesture intended to display her own uncertainty.

"Uh," she stuttered before finally settling on what felt like a simple, safe response. "Well, can't we just get to know her right now?" she supplied as gently as possible, shrugging her shoulders and looking in Piper's direction.

"Piper, it sounds like Prue was just being Prue," added Phoebe. "And maybe she decided to leave but it sure sounded like Gideon pressured her into it with that damn ultimatum. I mean, the guy was kooky and who knows what he was capable of doing at the time had she not gone along with it? You know, like maybe we wouldn't have Paige today?" she suggested lightly, looking between both of them. "And you said yourself that he knew about Paige and threw her up in Prue's face," she pointed out.

Paige felt momentarily humbled by the notion that the big sister she had never gotten the chance to meet before now, the same sister she had felt inferior to for so long, and the sister she magically competed against was the same sister who had given up her own life so that she could keep hers. Prue had willingly vacated her place in the Power of Three and allowed Paige to step forward and take it. And she did that for a sister she knew nothing about and left on a whim when she was faced with the possibility of Paige's life being potentially threatened.

Paige held a new respect for her big sister that she never thought she would carry with her. Finally, the understanding was there. Why it was that her other two sisters revered her so much? Why they believed her to be the strongest and why they had looked to her to take the lead? But, more importantly, why they had practically fallen apart after she had died. Prue was all too willing to sacrifice herself, to put her own life on the line, if it meant keeping one of her sisters safe. It was a strength Paige admired because she honestly didn't know if she was capable of doing the same thing to that extent.

However, her new-found appreciation is what also led her to understand Piper's dilemma. Because Paige realized that Prue's strength was also her weakness. And Gideon had fully exploited that, resulting in Piper's struggle to create a new life void of her older sister's influence. Piper had adjusted to her new role as the oldest sister and now Prue was back, uprooting her sense of stability for a second time.

"Well, I guess I'll have to respect how you guys feel. But I'm going to need some more time with this," Piper vented. "I'm sorry but that's all I'm willing to give right now," she insisted.

She was the second sister that made her move to leave. However, Piper stopped when she was greeted by the presence of Leo making his way into the living room. Andy was following closely behind him, Molly hoisted up in his arms.

"Good!" Leo exclaimed. "You're all here! We don't have much time ..." but he trailed off when he noticed the absence of one sister. "Wait, where's Prue?," he inquired. By this time, he had grabbed the attention of both Phoebe and Paige who left their sitting positions and walked to stand beside Piper, all of them forming a small huddle.

"She went outside to get some air. Why, what's the matter?" Phoebe asked, clearly worried about what Leo had to share with them.

"I'll get her," Andy announced as he turned around for the front door.

Leo waited until he heard the front door close before opting to continue. However, he was already too late because right before them the familiar orbs of the Elders materialized into Emeritus and two other high-ranking Elders who sat upon their council. Dimitri was nowhere in sight.

"Damn it," Leo had cursed under his breath.

Phoebe stared. "Uh, I hope this is a good thing?" she announced in the direction of all three Elders. "Please tell me you're just visiting to make Prue remember and then you'll be on your merry, Elder way?"

"That among other things," Emeritus responded.

"Okay, I don't like the sound of that," Phoebe resigned, turning her attention to the ground and then back to her brother-in-law. "Leo, why don't I like the sound of that?" she stressed.

Leo huffed and glowered in the direction of the three men.

"They're here for Andy!" he spit out through gritted teeth. "Because Prue's been given her old life back, they're taking him back!"

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige immediately glared back in the direction of the Elders.

**ooooo**

Billie and JD walked down the pathway together, while she listened intently to the story he had to tell her. Every once and awhile, they would throw in a small glance at the other before, shyly, turning away out of embarrassment. Each one was hoping that the other didn't catch the looking.

"So, you're a whitelighter now?" she remarked. "That's awesome."

"Yeah, Sam's great! He's had my back since the beginning of all this," JD replied. "But, now I need your help," he admitted very cautiously.

"My help?" Billie questioned. "What for?"

"Well, the Elders sort of gave me my first assignment but I sort of screwed up!" He laughed nervously before continuing. "Now I've got someone on my back," he answered with a grin.

"What sort of someone?" Billie pressed, not liking where this was going.

"Um, I think he's called a darklighter?" JD contemplated, his brow furrowed. "Anyway, he carries around this funky crossbow and arrow like he belongs in a Wild West movie or something!" He scoffed and looked back at her.

When, Billie threw him a questioning glare he tried to piece together a better analogy for her.

"You know, cowboys and Indians? That sort of thing?" he pressed on with his eyebrows raised. "No, you don't get it," he relented, with a shake of his head, when the same facial expression remained in place. "Forget It!"

Billie shook her head, a small smile breaking through.

"Sorry," she offered in her defense. "Old movies and I just don't mix well together. It's like trying to mix apples with peaches. Or is it oranges?" she contemplated on second thought. She waved her hand dismissively in the air. "Ah, it doesn't matter, you get my drift," she concluded.

"Huh? Okay," JD replied, clearly getting lost somewhere in translation. "Drift?" he questioned.

Billie laughed, picking up that he had no idea what she was talking about. "Forget it! There's clearly no way around the generation gap," she reasoned. "It's just another way of saying you understood me, that's all!"

"Oh," remarked JD.

Billie and JD stopped walking when they reached the front of the library on the college campus. There were some trees positioned around the building and the comforting breeze offered some relief against the hot rays given off by the sun. They both stood stationary for a few seconds, looking at each other silently, while a couple of students bypassed them on their way into the library. A small sitting bench, that added some friendly decor to the bland, cemented building, was located in front of some bushes at the far side of the entrance. Billie approached the bench and sat down, JD following behind her.

"So you came looking for me here?" she finally asked him, getting down to business. "How come you just didn't go to Sam for help if you were in trouble?"

"Well that would put Sam in just as much danger as me," JD reasoned. "After all, the darklighter's arrow can kill him too. So, what could he do for me? But I figured since you're a witch and all that maybe ..." he trailed off.

"I could vanquish his sorry ass for you?" Billie finished for him. However, she noticed that JD appeared completely distracted because he was staring at her. Did he even hear a word she said? She waved her hand in front of his face. "Um, HELLO? Anybody home in there?"

It took that wave of her hand to sever his concentration and to allow her words to finally penetrate his brain. "Uh, yeah. Absolutely!" he affirmed. Then he smiled. "At least, that was one reason I came to you," he hinted.

Billie returned his smile with one of her own. "Do I even want to know the other reason?" she then teased back. And what he did next completely took her by surprise.

"Yeah, I wanted to see you," he replied as he reached out, placed his hand behind her neck, and pulled her in for a kiss.

Billie closed her eyes and for a few, sweet seconds allowed herself to become immersed in the kiss. However, reality quickly came tumbling back and she managed to pull herself out of the moment.

"Uh, not a good idea!" she suddenly protested, pulling back, and using the back of her hand to wipe against her mouth.

JD, feeling the automatic sting of rejection, attempted to cover up his embarrassment. "Sorry! Old habits die hard," he conjured up quickly. "Always liked the pretty ladies, even back in my time. Can't blame a guy for trying, right?"

He offered her an awkward smile and laughed.

Billie felt bad. She hadn't meant to brush him off so brusquely, but it was just the current state of her life right now. The last thing she needed was anymore complications added to the mix when she had other issues that needed to be worked through already. JD seemed like a great guy, he really did. He was good-looking, charismatic, and she was attracted to him the very first time Sam, Paige's whitelighter father, had brought him to the manor seeking magical protection.

"JD, I'm sorry, it's just ... " she started. "I know this is going to sound really lame but it's really not you. It's me, I can't be bothered with that type of a relationship right now. The relationships I do have are messed up at best and need some serious working out," she attempted to clarify as best as she could. "But I can't be anymore than a friend right now, so sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but ..." she tried to finish but JD cut her off.

"Don't apologize!" he replied firmly. "You didn't do anything wrong. I'm the one that's actually sorry, it's just that after we kissed the last time I was here I just automatically assumed that maybe," he paused, sighed, and then continued. "Seriously, I really do hope you can work things out and when you do, don't forget about me, okay?" he joked with her. They smiled at each other before JD turned serious again. "But, in the meantime, I could really use a friend."

Billie reached out and hugged him.

"Well you got one!" she declared. "So? How about one friend helping another friend to kick some darklighter butt?"

JD laughed with Billie as both of them got up from the bench. Billie reached for her backpack that had been placed on the ground, slinging one strap over her shoulder. _Well, so much for studying _Billie concluded in thought as both she and JD headed for a secluded spot so he could orb them back to the Manor. And to the Book of Shadows.

**ooooo**

After Prue had walked out the door, she felt a rush of heat hit her from the hot, mid-day sun. She immediately brought her hand up to cover her face against the bright rays, blinding her vision. Slowly, she walked down the steps and down the small walkway leading to the house until she reached the second set of steps. Then she sat down on them.

Prue released a heavy sigh. All the pent up tension and feelings of frustration were just begging to be let out. Why was all of this happening to her? Of all the possible pasts to walk into, she had to walk into this one? What she really wanted to do was take her husband and daughter and leave. To make up for the lost time the entire past year had created. Instead, she was sitting outside right now debating her own conscious. She had promised to stay and help but what if she couldn't handle it? The last thing she needed was to screw that up too. She wasn't exactly receiving the most warm, fuzzy feelings from this place. Although, she did have to admit, at least the youngest two sisters were trying.

She turned her attention to the grass located to the side of her and began picking at it. As she scanned the neighborhood, a slow feeling of familiarity descended upon her. It was the strangest feeling, almost like deja vu. Then, as she turned her head back around to look back at the front of the manor, she felt a rippling sensation course through her until her mind opened up and the memory flash hit her full force. She brought her hands up to the sides of her temples to try and ease the momentary ache that accompanied the flash ...

**(Memory Flashback) **

_Prue could remember standing on the front steps to the house, next to the two other women. They were Piper and Phoebe. However, the other sister, Paige, was nowhere to be found. She could remember the voice of an older woman penetrating her senses. Grams? At least, that was the name her mind threw out to her ..._

_"Uh, okay girls, if you could just move a little closer?" came the request of the older woman. _

_Prue could remember a camera in the woman's hand. She had wanted to take a picture, their picture, in front of the house. And Prue could also remember feeling like she really didn't want to pose for the picture._

_"Uh uh, Phoebe, turn to me! I want to be able to get your good side," the older woman continued._

_"Um, I don't think she has one today, Grams," came a crack from the sister named Piper. Prue remembered cracking a small smile of her own at the comment._

_Phoebe, on the other-hand, appeared plain annoyed. __"Can we please get this over with?" she argued back._

_"Why? You got plans?" Prue mocked her and was barely containing her own laughter._

_"Uh, Prue, all I'm getting is shoulder," inserted the older woman called Grams._

_"With anybody that I know?" Prue directed back at Phoebe._

_"I'm sure lying beneath all that sarcasm, there is a point," argued Phoebe. "And if it has anything to do with Roger ..."_

_"Well, he said that you called him yesterday!" Prue put forth. Piper rolled her head back and sighed at the oncoming blow out about to erupt at any second._

_"Yeah, looking for YOU!" Phoebe shot back. "Prue, I'm not going to defend myself when I haven't done anything wrong!"_

_"Really?" Prue mocked again._

_"I'm just trying to be nice to the guy considering he's going to be part of this family soon! Which I'm not even sure I want to be part of this family," Phoebe stressed._

_The older woman, Grams, appeared to be losing patience with them as her next comment broke ground. "The sun is shifting, could you move down a step, please?" she insisted._

_After all three of the girls had moved down a step at their grandmother's request, Phoebe then turned her head around and threw her next comment back at Prue. _

_"And why would I waste my time on a whimp who's got mother issues?" she snidely remarked._

_Their grandmother brought the camera back down, almost ready to give up on taking the picture as she continued to listen to the girls quarrel._

_"I don't know, but why should I believe anything that you say?" Prue shot back at her. "You don't know the difference between what belongs to you and what belongs to, I don't know, let's say, MACEY'S!"_

_"Alrighty, then," interrupted Piper, swaying back and forth with her arms crossed. "Are we done?"_

_Then, suddenly, all three girls noticed that their grandmother grabbed for her chest and they stepped forward. All three of them called out for her as Piper instructed her on what to do._

_"Okay, take shallow breaths," she insisted._

_"Should we call the doctor?" Prue asked with concern._

_"No doctor," their grandmother willfully declined. "Just a picture. Is it too much for an old lady to ask her granddaughters to retract their claws, stand still, and look at me long enough to take one lousy picture?!" she exclaimed._

_At her words, all three of them silently retreated to the lawn, in front of the large window on the house, posing long enough for the picture to be taken._

**(Memory Flashback Ends)**

After the memory faded, Prue was startled by the sudden sound of the front door opening and closing. When she turned around, she realized that it was only her husband and her daughter. She relaxed. Then, she got up and headed back up the small walkway leading to the house. After Molly was placed down on the ground, she ran down the steps in her mother's direction.

"Mommy!" her voice rang out as she hugged her mother. "Look what I made for you?" she replied while smiling, handing Prue the drawing.

Prue stopped, took the piece of paper, and smiled.

"Wow, it's pretty!" she exclaimed while taking her daughter's hand and resuming the small walk back in the direction of the house. "Is everything okay?" she asked Andy when she caught the look on his face. She walked up the steps and stopped in front of him, Molly still by her side, looking between her parents.

Andy sighed.

"Yeah, fine. It's just I think they need you back in there," he announced. "How are you doing?" he asked with concern. He knew there had to be a reason she came out here to be by herself.

He didn't want to tell her before, but he had this impending sense of doom that had settled into the pit of his stomach since they had found out about everything. He didn't know why he felt it but at first he chalked it up to the strangeness of the past, few days and all the weird details like witches, demons, and magical powers. Now he believed it was something more like he was waiting for something bigger to drop. And if the expression on Leo's face moments ago was any indication, then that look spoke volumes. He just wished whatever it was would come and go already so he didn't have to keep feeling on edge.

"It could be better," she tried joking, with a smile in place. Then, she turned serious again. "But, honestly, I'm more confused than anything.. Confused about what all this means. What it's going to mean for us and our future. I did promise to stay and help them but ..." she tried explaining to him.

"But what?" he pushed.

"But I feel completely out of place here," Prue finished.

Andy flashed her a sympathetic smile before bringing his hand up to the side of her face, in a comforting gesture. Prue smiled back at him, as she took his hand and brought it to her lips for a chaste kiss.

"You'll be fine," he tried to reassure her. Then, he pulled her into his arms for a hug before he turned somber. Only, Prue couldn't see the expression on his face because of the embrace they were sharing. "And I want you to promise me that you'll do everything you can to keep you and Molly safe. Even if remembering, brings back painful memories. And even if ... " he drifted off before continuing. "Even if I can't be there!"

At his words, Prue quickly pulled herself out of his embrace, a questioning look of concern gracing her face.

"And why wouldn't you be there?" she asked him in a firm tone.

"Prue, it's just a figure of speech," Andy tried to reassure her. "It doesn't hurt to be prepared," he reasoned. "You never know?"

But he knew he wasn't being completely honest with her. There was something different, he was feeling a shift in consciousness, a slow change. For a split second, he took notice that he had even called his wife, Prue, without so much as a second thought. What was happening to him?

"That's no figure of speech!" Prue argued back. "Why would you say something like that?"

A part of her dreaded the answer to that question because it would validate her own nagging feelings she had been having about losing him. It couldn't be a coincidence that they were both having the same thoughts.

"Uh, can we talk about this later?" he suggested, nodding in the direction of their daughter, who was standing beside them, listening to every word they spoke. Prue, turned her head to the side, and smiled down at Molly, understanding exactly what her husband meant. "Besides, I think they're waiting," he concluded.

The three of them turned to enter the manor.

**ooooo**

"Andy? You can't take Andy back? Isn't that like murder or something?" Phoebe protested in a high-pitched tone, while looking between Leo and the senior Elders.

"Andrew Trudeau has been dead a long time," Emeritus proclaimed, in a calm voice. "And Michael Holloway no longer exists," he finished.

Paige stepped forward, a feeling of disgust welling up inside of her.

"What is THAT suppose to mean?" she challenged. "You gave Andy his life back, so I don't care what freaking name you concocted for him later on! And if you take him back now, that's murder in my book!" she declared strongly.

"There's no way we're letting you take him!" announced Piper. She was standing behind both Phoebe and Paige, and next to Leo, before stepping forward by her sisters' side.

Piper thought back to almost a year ago when she had been placed in the same position with Leo. It was heartbreaking for her and the kids when they had lost him and she suddenly felt her heart go out for Prue and Molly. It was a feeling she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy let alone her own sister.

"You really don't have a choice," replied the Elder standing to Emeritus' left. "What's done is done!"

At that moment, everyones attention was drawn to the sound of the door shutting and the sight of Andy, Prue, and Molly entering the living room area. Molly was back in Andy's arms while Prue followed behind them. When they noticed the concerned, somber looks of everyone else in the room, Prue and Andy looked to each other.

Prue looked back to the others.

"What?" she questioned, wanting to know why everyone was staring at her in such a way. Because the looks on their faces made her feel very uneasy. Then she noticed the three strange men clad in white robes.

"Ah good! Just in time," remarked Emeritus. "You'll be coming back with us, Andrew!" he announced.

Prue felt herself grow angry.

"Like hell!" she declared, protectively stepping in front of him, using herself as a block between her husband and the three men threatening to tear her life apart.

"Prue, don't!" Andy tried to warn, grabbing for her arm. But, unconsciously, she shoved it away from her as she addressed the Elders standing in front of them.

"What more do you want? I already said that I'd stay and help, so why can't you just leave us alone?" she demanded to know.

Quickly, she had figured out these men to be the Elders that Piper had told her about earlier. The same ones she had apparently struck a deal with to keep she and her sisters alive all in exchange for her non-magical life.

"This isn't personal, Prudence!" declared Emeritus. "It's about keeping the grand-design in balance."

"Are you kidding?" Paige jumped in for Prue. "Of course it's personal for her. You're threatening to take away her husband. And Molly's father. Do you really expect her to just be okay with that?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Piper huffed out loud. She couldn't contain it. "The grand-design? Are you kidding us? Now, where have I heard that nonsense spewed before? Oh, yeah! When you took Leo from ME!" she mocked. "Sorry, but we're not buying that line this time!" she declared with determination.

"That was different!" defended one of the Elders.

"Yeah, well excuse me," Phoebe shot back. "But I fail to see where your concern for the grand-design lied five years ago? You apparently had no issues meddling with it back then. Stealing our sister to prevent a power the grand design propagated? Promising Prue a new life and then resurrecting her husband? And, now, you have the audacity to show up here and throw the grand-design back in our faces?" she argued.

Prue listened and was grateful that the women, she discovered to be her sisters, stood up with her against these men; however, some of their admissions concerned her. What did Phoebe mean by a resurrection? She made it sound as if her husband had already been dead before they had been given their new lives. And the Elders must have been reading her thoughts because it was that very concern they addressed next.

"Andrew was dead long before you agreed to your former arrangement, Prue," supplied Emeritus. "Destiny already decided his fate and his rightful place is in the afterlife. We are only correcting that mistake and bringing order back to the universe in doing so," he boldly affirmed.

Denial started to set deeply into the core of her being. And she tried very hard to suppress the sudden urge to cry but felt her eyes well up anyway.

"You're lying!" Prue accused.

"No, we are not!" declared another Elder, backing Emeritus up. "The veil that once shielded your memory has already been lifted. Your memories should begin to break through the barrier and resurface in the days to come. And, then, you will remember the truth!"

"What that's it?" Phoebe mocked. "No more magical dust, no magical wand to wave them back?" she finished with a quick roll of her brown eyes.

"No, the magical shield has been magically lifted from our end," an Elder verified.

"And we are sorry your sister didn't take the liberty to share that particular news, about Andrew, with you," Emeritus offered while looking at Piper and then back to Prue.

Prue caught the direction of his stare and turned to catch Piper glancing at her. Then Piper closed her eyes and sighed. Piper hadn't kept that piece of information a secret to be spiteful, she had just secretly hoped that Andy wouldn't become an issue. However, looking back at their history with these Elders, she decided she probably should have known better.

"Well, I still don't care. Whether it's true or not, you're not taking him. We need him here!" Prue decreed.

"The Cleaners have already handled the situation. We corrected the problem and as far as the outside world is concerned, you relocated five years ago to get married, Prudence!" began Emeritus. "You never died. And when your husband lost his life in the line of duty recently, you were widowed and decided to move back home with your daughter!"

"WHAT?" declared Prue in disbelief. How could they just go and do that?

"Wait!" Paige interrupted. "Does this mean Molly is safe? From the system, I mean?" she then added for clarification.

"All of that history has been erased and replaced by the new one," affirmed Emeritus. "As of now, Molly was never in the social service system," he concluded.

Paige closed her eyes and sighed in relief. As bad as things were, at least that was one minor problem off their backs. But she turned to look at her sister who looked on the verge of breaking down. Prue appeared to be emitting a strong disposition but the look in her eyes along with the picking of her cuticles gave her away.

Andy, stood silently, listening to the debate that passed back and forth. Because sometime during that period, the floodgates had opened and it all had come rushing back. He held onto his daughter tightly and closed his eyes as it began to sink in that this would probably be the last time he saw her, let alone, got the chance to hold her. Because he had remembered. He remembered that fateful day he entered this very house only to encounter his end. His only concerns had been for Prue's safety that day when he had rushed through that door and the last thing he remembered was being thrown through the air before everything went completely black. The three men before them had been telling the truth when they had said he didn't belong here anymore. But, he couldn't bring himself to tell Prue what it was he intended to do. He would go with the Elders and leave without putting up a fight because in the end at least he knew Molly was safe again. And Prue needed to reconnect with her sisters. It was vital to her, their daughter, and everyone else that it be done. But, with him here, he would only serve as a distraction.

Prue crossed her arms. "Great! So, I don't even have a home to go back to now? Thanks alot!" she mocked before turning around to face her husband.

"This is your home, Prudence!" declared Emeritus. "And we would appreciate Andrew's cooperation on this matter!" he added.

"Well, that's one thing you won't be getting!" Prue declared back. "Because we're leaving!" she announced. "C'mon," she addressed Andy, pulling on his shirt sleeve, an indication that she wanted him to follow her. Only, he didn't move from his position.

"Prue, you don't have anywhere else to go," Leo argued logically. "We'll find another way!"

Prue looked to him and then to her husband, who didn't budge out of place. Her eyes were pleading with his until she finally spoke up.

"Andy, aren't you coming?" she asked him.

"No, Prue," he slowly shook his head. He couldn't stop his eyes from watering. "Here, take her!" his voice cracked with emotion as he handed Molly back over to her.

"What are you doing?" Prue demanded as Molly was thrust into her arms. Suddenly, it dawned on her that calling him by that name seemed natural but more importantly, she realized what he intended to do. He was going to let them take him and she wasn't about to allow that to happen.

"Andy, no!" she pleaded.

As she shook her head refusing to accept his decision, Andy brought his hand up behind her head and pulled her in for a quick, kiss on the lips.

"I have to. I love you and just remember what I told you before," he insisted. Then, he kissed the top of Molly's small head. "I love you baby, be good," he whispered to his daughter.

"But I don't want you to leave, daddy," came the little girl's plea.

It was an emotional scene for everyone in the room. Leo shot dagger eyes in the Elders direction while Phoebe shook her head and closed her eyes. She began pacing the length of the living room floor, searching for some solution, any solution. Paige stood there with her arms crossed, looking between her family and the men threatening to tear it apart. Piper, on the other-hand, opted to speak out. She had enough and didn't like the idea of Andy just giving in. He deserved to be with his family just as much as Leo did.

"Andy, you don't have to do this!" she exclaimed. "You can stay. We'll make sure we find a way to keep you safe. There's spells and potions and who knows what else," she offered before Emeritus interrupted her.

Prue looked between Piper and her husband, silently begging him to take the offer.

"If you insist on making it more difficult for yourselves so be it!" the Elder announced sternly. "However, let me stress that this time there will be no way to out maneuver the Angel of Death!" And he made it a point to look directly at Piper when he made his last statement, a comment referencing their prior arrangement involving Leo.

"Thanks, Piper, but I really think it's better for everyone if I just leave right now," Andy announced, refusing to look his wife in the eyes.

He knew his decision was going to make her angry but he would rather he leave and they be safe than for him to stay behind and they all die because she couldn't come to terms with her past and what she needed to do. So Andy slowly approached the Elders, as Prue latched onto his sleeve refusing to let go until finally she had no choice. She dropped her head against her daughter's and silently began sobbing. He knew he couldn't turn back and look, otherwise, he might lose the courage to do this.

"We'll find a way to make this right," Leo told Andy, while the other man made his way to stand by the Elders.

He was determined to make sure they found a way to give Andy his life back. Andy issued him a small smile in return, a smile meant to display his appreciation for the offer but one also expressing that he wasn't counting on it happening.

"Don't do this!" came Prue's angry plea.

Andy turned to the Elders. "Let's do this and get it over with!" he exclaimed.

Then, he turned to look at his wife one last time and caught the tear streaks behind the angry mask. He mouthed one last _I love you _before finally fading away into an array of white orbs, leaving everyone else in the room looking on.

Prue stood completely still, a look of shock registered on her face, as she stared at the spot once occupied by her husband but a spot that was now empty. Molly's arms were wrapped securely around her mother's neck, while looking around the room for her father but finding no sign of him anywhere.

"Where's daddy?" her small voice asked out loud. "Did he go away like me?"

But no one could bring themselves to answer her questions. Suddenly, Prue broke down and the sobbing could be heard by everyone in the room. Phoebe and Paige looked at each other before both of them decided to approach her. It was just their natural, sisterly instinct to gather around on either side of her and then Phoebe reached over to pull her into an embrace. An embrace that she didn't fight as she leaned into it and continued to sob. Even, Piper, who still had issues to work through with her big sister was moved enough to walk over to the small huddle. She stopped just in front of Prue and then tentatively reached out as Prue brought her head down to rest on Piper's shoulder.

It was the start of a new beginning.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger like that. But, I'll guarantee insurance to any Prue/Andy fans that Andy will be back. And with a little help from Leo. **;o) **

Oh and for anybody who was confused about JD, he's the guy that appeared in the **season 8 **episode, **The Last Picture Show**. He's the guy that Billie was looking after, one of Sam's charges who disappeared in 1955. Just thought I'd clear that up. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I should be back by August. Until then, happy reading. **:o) **


	18. A Prue From the Past

**Author's Note: **Hey, Peeps. Guess who's back? Me, your favorite author and I know you've been dying without me here. **lol ... **kidding (not about the being back part of course). My vacation went well but it was way too hot. Got sunburn on the top of my head, ouch, **lol**. So, it's good to be back.** :o)**

**Quick Disclaimer: **Some quotations from this chapter are borrowed from some different episodes throughout **Charmed**.

Now, on with the story, so here we go ...

* * *

**Chapter 17: A Prue From The Past**

The dream started like all the others. After another emotionally, draining day she drifted off into a deep sleep. A sleep that she welcomed until the flashes invaded her dream state, disturbing the peaceful slumber she so desperately sought to immerse herself within. It was like watching a picture show in slow motion.

Prue tossed back and forth on the bed as the darkness surrounded her. It was like a vortex, sucking her in, and she had no way of escaping its pull. Slowly, the swirling sensation ceased, and her hearing senses picked up on the sound of a baby crying somewhere in the dark distance. Only, she couldn't see anything or anyone. Then, as the darkness began to fade and merge with forming images, she saw a picture of herself in her own mind's eye ...

**(Memory Flash)**

_Seven-year old Prue tossed back and forth in her bed. She held on tightly to her giant teddy bear, a gift from her father, whom she hadn't seen since her mother's passing a few months ago. Why did everybody she love leave her? Had she done something wrong to make them go away?_

_"Grams?" the little girl called out from her sleep. "Please make it go away," she pleaded._

_Grams entered the room upon hearing the moaning sounds coming from her young granddaughter's room. She gently walked across the floor, not wanting to wake up her other two sleeping grandchildren. She sat on the edge of the bed, placing the back of her hand against Prue's forehead, to feel for a temperature. The little girl was tossing and turning in her sleep, small beads of sweat forming at the top of her head, soaking the edges of her hair._

_"Prudence," Grams whispered, with a gentle shake against her small body, in an attempt to rouse her from her nightmare. The nightmares had become more and more frequent since her mother's passing._

_"Make it stop, Grams!" Prue wailed as she brought her small hands up to cover her ears. "Make the crying go away!"_

In her sleep, Prue's consciousness recognized the cry her younger self had encountered all those many years ago. It was the same cry she had been encountering each night she fell asleep, the indistinguishable baby cry. What did it mean? But, she didn't have much longer to contemplate it as her sleeping state pulled her into another memory flash ...

**(Memory Flash # 2)**

_A teenage version of Prue stood in a school gym, in front of the bleachers. A teenage boy stood in front of her. _

_Andy? _

_Yes, it was Andy. She would recognize that face anywhere; however, they appeared to be engaged in a heated discussion about something. They were drawing alot of attention as other students either entered the gymnasium or peeked through the large double doors to eavesdrop. What was he saying? _

_Ah, yes. He was trying to break up with her but why? Prue remembered the stinging sensation his words brought to her heart. But there was something else. Something she wasn't telling him but knew she really wanted to. She felt forced to keep the secret and she could remember the feelings of guilt and loneliness that accompanied the secret. _

_Why couldn't she remember what it was?_

_"Prue? I ... " eighteen-year old Andy began. His feet shuffled against the floor and his hands were thrust into the pockets of his jeans. He refused to look Prue in the eyes while his voice wavered. "I just think it would be better for both of us if we broke it off now. While there's still a friendship to save." _

_Prue felt her eyes mist over. No, that's not what she wanted. How could he think that abandoning them would be better? But then she quickly reminded herself that was the problem. HE didn't know. She used her shirt sleeve, in a rough gesture, to wipe against her eyes. She wasn't going to give him any satisfaction in seeing her cry. But she could still hear the cracking of her voice as she attempted to argue against his decision. _

_"Friends? I thought we passed way beyond that a long time ago?" a teen-aged Prue spat back. "But, hey, I get it," she ventured on sarcastically. "Why would you need me anymore when you can find someone new? Who wants to keep damaged goods when a new package is right around the corner waiting to be picked up?"_

_Andy looked genuinely hurt by her accusations. She could tell by the look on his face and the momentary flinch that accompanied his look after the words left her mouth. Prue knew it was mean to throw that at him because Andy wasn't that type of guy. Not by a long shot and she knew it. But she couldn't help it. Her emotions felt like they were on a roller-coaster ride she couldn't get off of and Andy deciding to break up with her on the last day of school was the final straw._

_"There isn't anybody else!" he defended himself loudly. "And how could you accuse me of using you like that? I've always cared for you. Alot. But now I'm wishing we hadn't crossed that line," he continued to argue, his tone laced with some anger. "Why are you so surprised, anyway? One of us was bound to do it. We knew it was coming to this because all we do is fight about every little thing. I mean, c'mon, you're grandmother doesn't even want me to take you out to a lousy movie! And what's with you lately? You've been so moody and I have no idea what the right thing to say to you is anymore." _

_Prue stared at him with her arms crossed together. _

_"But most of all, I'm just tired, Prue. Tired of all the sneaking around," he finished venting._

_"I've been sneaking around because I wanted to be with you," her voice cracked as the tears threatened to resurface. "But, obviously, that's not how you felt at all," she resolved._

_Andy shook his head vehemently. "That's not true," he boldly declared. "I just don't get why your Grams decided, out of a clear blue sky one day, that we couldn't see each other anymore. Why can't I see you? What have I done that's so wrong?" he pleaded._

_Just tell him the truth, a part of Prue debated with herself. He deserves to know anyway and at the very least maybe it would help to clear up some of the confusion. But, on the other-hand, what if I tell him and he still leaves? He would know the secret and I'd still be left alone. And even more importantly, she thought about her grandmother's reaction and the wrath that would be directed at her if she found out Prue disobeyed by telling Andy the truth. She loved her grams but she felt nothing but anger for her right now. It was all so unfair and she felt completely trapped and torn from both ends._

_Andy sighed heavily when he received no response back from Prue. _

_"Look, you said you're going away for the summer didn't you? And I'm leaving for college in the fall," he continued in a calmer tone. "I still think this is for the best right now. We'll be apart anyway and if it's meant to be, we'll find our way back to each other. I really am sorry. But I just hoped that maybe we could break it off on friendly terms. I don't want us to walk away hating each other," he finished. _

_She felt the tears begin to slip out and she needed to get out of the school gym and away from him. Luckily, she noticed her sister Piper just in time, who peeked inside of the gym. She appeared to be looking for her. _

_"I don't hate you," she choked out. "But I have to go," were her final words as she bolted past him, refusing to look him in the eyes. _

There was a secret. What secret? Prue furrowed her eyebrows in deep concentration as she searched her memory banks for the missing link. What had all that meant? However, her memory failed to release that particular piece of information as once again her sleeping state carried her into another forgotten memory ...

**(Memory Flashback # 3)**

_Prue stood in the attic with Piper to one side of her. Phoebe stood in front of her. She was holding a big, leather bound book with a strange looking symbol that graced the cover. Apparently, the three of them were having some sort of debate about the book and what it meant for the three of them._

_"Incantation? What incantation?" inquired Piper as she stood with her hands placed against her hips, addressing their youngest sister. "Wait, you included me in this too?" she added as an afterthought._

_"No, she included all of us," corrected Prue. "Give the powers to we sisters three," Prue read from the book as she looked up to face Phoebe. "It's a book of witchcraft!"_

Suddenly, various images meshed all together in a frenzy and Prue's consciousness had alot of difficulty making out their significance. It was like trying to put together a puzzle with only half of the pieces there. Like her mind was on fast forward because it kept throwing these jumbled pictures at her over and over again ...

**(Mixed Memory Flashbacks # 4)**

_All three sisters held hands in the attic as they chanted in unison. _

_"The Power of Three will set us Free!" they all chanted together as they watched a man that was not human explode into a mass of nothingness._

_A name quickly popped into mind. Jeremy? Piper dated him?_

Prue tossed back onto her other side.

_Prue stood at the front desk of the hospital emergency room. She was there to check up on Phoebe. When she heard the voice coming from the man standing next to her, she immediately recognized who it was._

_"Andy?" she questioned as he turned around to look at her._

_"Prue?" he replied back, pleasantly surprised to be running into her. "I can't believe it! How are you?" he asks with a pleased smile plastered on his face._

Prue could hear the faint sound of her name somewhere in the distance. Who was calling for her? But, however hard she tried, her mind wouldn't allow her to break free from her sleeping state. Because, suddenly, the images turned into a clattering of voices all thrown at her at once. She brought her hands up to protect her ears against the vocal onslaught ...

_"He's studied you Prue," came the voice of Phoebe._

_"What are you hiding Prue?" asked Andy. "Looks like I'm not the only one with a secret!"_

_"No, you can't be there, Andy," Prue replies. "I would die if anything ever happened to you!"_

_"Why do you do that?" inquires Phoebe. "You never say I love you back. It's always me too. Have you ever said I love you to anybody?"_

_"Andy died because of me!" comes Prue's tearful admission. "And it doesn't matter what he said. It's my fault!"_

_"Prue, I can't believe you'd risk your life for your job," scolds Piper._

_"Remember when I said you had no vision?" Prue addresses Phoebe. "Well, you will never hear it again! It takes alot of strength to see what you see."_

_Piper lies on the hospital stretcher, blood gushing from the bullet wound. Prue's tear-streaked face watches, her own hands soaked with her sister's blood, and she holds onto her sister's hand tightly. _

_"I love you," comes Piper's last muttered response before dying. This flash is brief and is quickly re-winded back to a point in time that prevented this memory from taking place. So, how was she able to remember it?_

_"This is a joke, right?" comes the voice of Dr. Griffiths. "My second wife put you up to this?"_

_"Dr. Griffiths, this is anything but a joke," responds Prue._

_"Am I dead?" Prue asks the strange man, dressed in a robe._

_"Prue?" she could hear both of her sisters calling out her name. "Prue ... Prue ... " her name drifted until finally she awoke to the sound of it._

"PRUE?" came the loud call that finally broke Prue from her sleeping state.

Her eyes shot open as she bolted up in bed, releasing heavy breaths into the night air. Her consciousness slowly merged with her newly, awakened state while she focused on her surroundings. She noticed the woman standing in front of her. It was Piper.

"Are you okay?" Piper inquired a bit uneasily.

Piper had heard the moaning sounds coming from her sister's room as she approached the bedroom door. Immediately, she made the assumption that Prue was dreaming about the past since the Elders had lifted the memory block a couple days ago. She had walked inside only to find her sister completely immersed within a restless sleep.

Before responding, Prue took a few moments to stare out into the darkened room.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she finally answered with a slight nod of her head. Then, she closed her eyes to take a deep breath but felt a small body pounce on the bed near the edge of her feet. When she reopened her eyes, she noticed it was Molly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you but she had another nightmare and wanted you," Piper explained as Molly had released her hand and jumped onto the bed.

"I want to sleep with you, mommy," came her small, tired plea.

She crawled to the front of the bed and rubbed against her small eyes. There were some signs that she had been crying. Prue lifted up the bed covers, providing her daughter the opportunity to snuggle closely beside her. She turned to look at the small alarm clock which read 3am in the morning. Then, with her tired eyes downcast, she addressed Piper.

"It's alright, she can stay here with me. Thanks."

"Sure," Piper replied as she made her way to turn around and exit the room. "Let me know if you need anything," she offered upon leaving the room and closing the door.

Prue rested her head gently against her daughter's, contemplating whether or not she should even dare try to get some more sleep. These newly recovered memories were pulling her back into a world she was dreading. But the other part of her realized it was necessary to remember because her survival depended upon it. Besides, it was Andy's last request and the only promise she had left to keep to him. In the end, she eventually drifted off into another deep sleep with Molly nestled closely against her, who was also battling her own nightmares from the past.

**ooooo **

As the door clicked shut, Piper thought about the last couple days.

She had felt torn between trying to comfort and help her older sister and those unresolved feelings regarding abandonment. For the first time ever, Piper could truly relate to Prue and why she had always felt the way she did about Victor, their father, abandoning them. Prue had a hard time forgiving him for it but she and Phoebe had opted, readily, to give him a second chance. But was that only because they were barely old enough to remember anything he did while Prue could remember more? The thought scared Piper because she hated the idea that she could quite possibly resent her older sister for the rest of her life.

While walking away from the bedroom, the more she thought about her last statement upon leaving the bedroom the more she realized how stupid it really sounded. Did Prue need anything? Her husband back, that's what she needed.

However, for the most part, Prue had kept to herself the past couple days by staying in Paige's old room, the same room that used to be Prue's. And she wouldn't talk about Andy or ask any questions regarding their past together. She would come out to use the bathroom or to join Molly and the rest of the family at meals but other than that there was really very little time for any real interaction.

As Piper made her way down the hallway, she caught sight of Billie, clad in a night shirt and pajama bottoms, tip-toeing her way back to her bedroom with the Book of Shadows in her arms. She was about to enter Phoebe's old room and hadn't caught sight of Piper watching her either.

_Great, I wonder what she's getting herself into now?_

With a slight roll of her eyes, Piper slowly approached her niece from behind. "Billie?" she hissed in a high-pitched whisper. "What are you doing?"

Billie froze in place upon being caught in the act and before turning around to face Piper, she closed her eyes and mouthed a silent darn to herself. She had waited and figured that everyone would be sound asleep in the early hours of the morning. However, finally, she turned around with a fake smile plastered on her face as she addressed her aunt.

"Hey, Piper!" she began. "What are you doing up this early?" she asked in a doomed-to-fail attempt at distracting her from what she had been doing..

Piper walked up and stopped in front of her. "I could ask you the same question," she shot back. Then, she reached out for the Book of Shadows. "But nice try. Why do you need this at three in the morning?"

"Uh, well ..." Billie stuttered before deciding to give up the truth. "Look, it's not a big deal! I'm just helping out a friend who ran into some demon trouble. That's all!"

"Uh-huh," Piper muttered as she nudged Billie into the bedroom, following behind her.

"Hey!" Billie squeaked upon being forced into the bedroom.

"And what kind of demon trouble would that be?" Piper inquired as she shut the door behind them. "And what friend are we talking about here?"

Billie sighed as Piper opened the book to the page Billie had marker-ed. "Darklighters?" Piper questioned. "What does a darklighter want with your friend?" She turned a serious eye in her niece's direction.

"I was going to tell you a couple days ago but all that new drama broke out here when I got back to the Manor," Billie began to explain. "But do you remember that guy JD? The same one Paige's father brought to us for help not too long ago?"

"Yeah, I think I remember seeing him. From Leo's body!" Piper made a quick crack, regarding their little mishap in each other's body. She placed the Book down on the bed and sat down next to it. "I thought that poor kid died?" she inquired.

"He did but he's a whitelighter now," Billie explained. "And I need to help him before this darklighter gets to him first," she pleaded. "And I've already waited a couple days after I already promised him," she persisted before being cut off by Piper.

Piper put up her hand. "Billie, that's fine, but from now on check in with us first before you do anything, please? Because if something goes wrong we might not have any way of knowing until it's too late," she lectured.

"Okay. That's totally fine, I will next time. Promise," Billie nodded her head in immediate acceptance. "I'm really sorry!" she stressed for effect.

Billie was just glad that Piper hadn't completely banned the mission altogether. Besides, Billie felt like she needed the mission to help take her mind off of the new, mind-boggling revelations that had surfaced over the last 48 hours. Apparently, she had acquired a new little sister and a dead father who had been resurrected but who was now in fact ... dead again? The new little sister part wasn't so bad, after all it turned out to be Molly, the cute little girl Phoebe had been fostering and whom Billie had gotten the opportunity to babysit. Billie knew she had felt a connection to the little girl but, at the time, she hadn't understood why she felt it. It was strange how fate revealed itself in due time. Originally, she had set out on a mission to find a missing sister, one that was lost forever, only to be given back another sister in return. Fate had also intervened by taking away the only parents she had ever known and loved while bringing back the two parents responsible for bringing her into this world. The only problem? Her biological parents had no idea she even existed, let alone she was living under the same roof with the rest of the family. Prue had no memory of having her and her father, who was now dead again, had no idea she had ever been born. It left her in an awkward position on how to deal with it all.

Piper closed the Book of Shadows while she broached the next topic very carefully.

"Look, Billie," she started. "I know this is a sensitive change of subject but have you thought about when you're going to tell Prue who you are? She should be told soon. And I mean soon as in like sometime tomorrow?"

Billie clenched her teeth together. "Uh," she hesitated before answering. "Are you sure it's the right time? I mean, look at everything that's going on right now. Maybe I should wait until the dust settles a little bit?" she suggested nervously.

Piper sighed.

"To be honest Billie, I don't think there's ever going to be a right time. Something is always going to come up in our lives. Besides, the longer we put off telling her the more it'll seem like we're hiding it from her. Believe me, we don't need anymore secrets around here," she exclaimed. "We should just get it over with as soon as possible," she finished advising.

Billie sighed as she approached the bed with a shrug of her shoulders. "Yeah, but what am I even suppose to say?" she vented as she took a seat beside Piper. "I mean, I already look stupid for not saying something sooner. And I've been here the past two days eating at a dinner table with her and still didn't say anything," she pointed out.

"Billie, it's okay. Really," Piper tried to reassure her niece. "Phoebe, Paige, and I didn't tell her we were her sisters right away either," she stressed. "But we got through telling her and so will you."

Billie thought about what Piper was saying. "I don't know," she muttered, still feeling nervous and unsure.

Piper smiled sympathetically. "Listen," she continued with a gentle pat against Billie's knee. "If you want us there with you when you break the news we'll be there. No questions asked. But if you want to do it alone that's fine too. Whatever makes it easier for you," she offered as Billie continued to listen.

Then, Piper paused before continuing on as she averted her eyes towards the ground. "And, honestly, I even envy you a bit. You and Paige. The two of you don't have a past with her so you pretty much get a clean slate. Me? I still have to deal with the past before I can move on with the future," she sighed.

Billie weighed Piper's dilemma against her own before settling on a compromise.

"Well, how about a little deal?" she suggested in good faith.. "I'll promise to break the news by tomorrow and deal with my fears about it, if you can promise to spend one day alone with her and begin talking everything out. And I mean talking. No yelling or name-calling or running out when things get tough. That way we can both start moving on with the future," she reasoned. "I'll even offer to babysit that day, so what do you say?"

Piper narrowed her eyes playfully in her niece's direction. "Hey, I'm the adult here. That means I'm suppose to be the mature one," she teased. Billie smiled back. "Yeah, I guess I can handle that," she finally agreed. After all, they did have to start somewhere, Piper reasoned to herself. "But I'll wait a little bit until more of her memories are intact," Piper concluded. "That way she'll at least know what I'm talking about!"

"Agreed," Billie replied. "But I'm going to hold you to it!"

Piper smiled. "Yeah, I don't doubt that but right now all I need is some more sleep," she announced as she yawned and got up from the bed. "I was only up because Molly had another nightmare," she added. "I brought her into Prue."

"How is she?" Billie asked, feeling concerned. "I think it's a miracle she even survived the Underworld on her own," she contemplated further, referring to the known fact that Molly had been kidnapped by the Underworld and went missing there for at least a year. "Let alone .having to deal with losing her father. Again," she surmised.

Piper crossed her arms, listening.

"Yeah, well, she is Prue's daughter," she joked back in a light fashion. "And so are you so please be careful with what you're doing?" she admonished a bit playfully while still relaying a serious message to Billie. She sighed. "But we're going to try and find a way to help Andy," she added. "It's the very least we owe him," she reflected sadly. "We might not even be here today if it hadn't been for him."

"What do you mean?" inquired Billie, genuinely curious to learn something about the man she discovered to be her father a couple days ago.

Piper sighed. "Well, Andy died trying to help us," she explained. "And to keep our secret," she added on. "A demon was working undercover as an Internal Affairs agent back when Andy was an Inspector. The demon tried using him to expose and kill us. And if Andy hadn't intervened and distracted him here at the house, the demon may have gotten what he came for. But the decision cost Andy his life. And Prue blamed herself after it happened," she finished.

"Oh," came Billie's solemn reply as she looked down. "I guess the magical world isn't very kind to its mortal members, huh?" she tried joking with a shrug of her shoulders. She immediately thought of Christy and her adoptive parents.

Piper picked up on Billie's thoughts. "Billie, it's not your fault. What happened to Christy and your parents? Just like what happened to Andy wasn't Prue's fault. Your parents knew the truth about you and decided to love and care for you anyway. They were aware of the risks. Like Andy was when he walked through our front door," she compared.

"Somehow that just doesn't make me feel any better about it," Billie released with a sigh.

"No, you're right, it still sucks," Piper agreed with a nod of her head. "But maybe with a little magical luck you'll get the chance to know Andy instead. He's a good guy. I think you're lucky to have him as your father. One of them, at least," she concluded with a small smile, not wanting to offend Billie's memory of the man who raised her. She reached down and grabbed the Book of Shadows from the bed.

Piper turned around to open the door, the Book of Shadows in her arms. "Anyway, get some rest. This will still be here later in the morning," she replied with a slight demonstration of lifting the Book into the air.

"Night," was the last word Billie uttered before she heard the sound of the closing door.

**ooooo **

"My daughter's alive?" Victor exclaimed loudly as he stood in front of his daughter Phoebe who had just broken the news about Prue's return.

He was in a state of utter shock and disbelief.

Phoebe had awoken in the morning and decided to stop at her father's place before heading to work at _The Bay Mirror_. Piper was still dealing with her unresolved issues about Prue and it wasn't Paige's place to break the news to Victor; therefore, Phoebe felt she was the only candidate left for the job. And she figured it was better to get it out of the way as soon as possible. Later on, she planned on stopping by the manor to see how things were progressing on the sister front.

Quickly, Victor grabbed for his jacket, sprawled across his reclining chair, and attempted to walk around his daughter so he could head for the door leading out of his apartment. However, Phoebe quickly blocked his path with her hands up in the air, a gesture meant to stop him from leaving the room.

"Dad, no, wait! You can't just go barging in over there," Phoebe protested.

"Phoebe," her father protested right back. "You can't just drop a bombshell like that on me and expect me to sit around here and wait," he argued, determination evident in his voice. "I'm going over there!"

Victor resumed his steps in the direction of the door and reached for the knob when his daughter tried to dissuade him for the final time. When, he stopped and turned around, his daughter was walking towards him.

"Dad! Please," she begged. "I need for you to listen to me. I haven't even had the chance to tell the others that I told you the news. And Piper's already having a hard enough time dealing with all of this as it is. Not to mention, Prue's still adjusting and dealing with her own set of problems. I told you, she lost her memory and we don't know how long it's going to take for her to remember everything. She needs some time and space. Especially after Andy was just ripped away from her again," she trailed off.

Victor looked at his daughter's weary expression and just shook his head, looking to the ceiling in anger.

"You know," he began. "I know that I should just be grateful to have my daughter back but those guys have really crossed a line this time! How dare they play with people's lives like this? I've had my issues with them before but right now I'd just like to get my hands on them and wring their necks!" he vented in anger with a shake of his fist in the air.

Phoebe reached out for her father and pulled him into a hug. "I know Dad," she soothed. "Me too!" Then, she broke out of the hug and looked at him.

Victor shook his head once again upon his decision to give into his daughter's request. "Just tell her that I love her. Please do that for me?" he pleaded with his youngest daughter.

"Of course, you know I will!" Phoebe responded as she approached her father for another hug. "Thanks, Dad. And hey, at least you've gotten two, new granddaughters out of the whole mess," she added, trying to lighten the mood as she made reference to the additional news that involved Billie and Molly.

"Yeah, well I feel like I'm on information overload right about now," he remarked as he hugged her back. "And don't you have a wedding you should be planning for anyway?" he teased, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Phoebe laughed and backed out of the hug.

"Dad? You should know by now that it's not going to be that easy. Remember Piper's wedding? And then poor Paige had to throw out her engagement dinner and throw it into a quickie wedding," she half-joked. "And I'm not even sure whether or not Prue and Andy ever had one," she added on a second thought.

Victor smiled with a smile of understanding and watched as Phoebe slung her purse strap over her right shoulder.

"Anyway, I have to get to the office but we'll be in touch and keep you updated with what's going on," she reassured him. "I promise. Try not to worry," she finished.

Phoebe quickly leaned over and placed a light kiss on her father's cheek. Then, she headed for the door and exited the apartment, leaving an anxious Victor behind.

**ooooo **

After flushing the toilet, Prue flicked the light switch off on her way out of the bathroom. She had woken up feeling extremely nauseous.

Her nerves were on an all time high and the dreams that continued to invade her sleep were making her feel very anxious. It wasn't giving her much opportunity to acquire the rest which her body was craving more and more lately. And on top of everything else, she had the additional added stress of worrying about how she was going to support both herself and Molly. Being jobless and dependant upon distant sisters for financial support, well let's say, didn't exactly sit well with her.

It was true enough, that during her other life, she had agreed to stay at home and raise Molly while Andy had worked as Michael. And at the time it hadn't really bothered her that much. But now, she felt different. She felt a change and a craving for her own working independence. Perhaps, it was a sign that parts of her old personality were finally emerging? As Prue exited the bathroom deep in thought, she hadn't even noticed Billie rounding the corner for the bathroom. They bumped into each other.

"Oh!" they both exclaimed simultaneously. "Sorry!" Billie added in a high-pitch.

"No, my fault, I wasn't looking," Prue offered as she bent down to pick up the small, squeezable container of toothpaste and the toothbrush Billie had dropped from her hands when they had impacted with one another.

Billie swallowed and stared at her uneasily while Prue bent down to retrieve the items, not looking in her direction. Piper said there would probably be no right time so should she just break the news now? It was a fleeting thought though, and the moment passed as she lost the courage to do so. Prue stood back up, facing her again.

"Here you go," she announced as she extended her hand and offered the dental hygiene products back to Billie. She gave a small smile and waited for Billie to take the items back.

Billie hesitated before reaching out for them but finally she did.

"Thanks," she replied meekly. "Running late for my morning class," she attempted to explain with a nervous laugh while lifting her toothpaste and toothbrush in the air. She lowered her gaze and moved around Prue to make her way into the bathroom. "See you later," came her parting comment as she closed the door.

"Yeah, sure," Prue muttered as she shook her head slightly and turned back around in the direction of her bedroom.

_That was a little strange._ Prue reflected on it as a questioning look broke out on her face and she walked away. But, she quickly brushed it off as her thoughts returned to her new quest of finding herself a job.

**ooooo **

"Arrow!" Paige yelled out as the darklighter's crossbow released the arrow in her direction. Her call sent the arrow flying back in his direction as his dark orbs engulfed him causing him to vanish before it made contact. The arrow made impact with the wall instead.

This was just what she had been looking forward to on an early weekday morning, she thought sarcastically. She had heard the cry for help, while driving to work, when the familiar jingling sensation pierced her senses. Then she had been able to track the young charge to an abandoned warehouse on the east side of town. Of course, it was conveniently located in the opposite direction of her job. And now, she was definitely going to be late.

"Great," she muttered to herself at her failed attempt to vanquish the darklighter. She proceeded to turn around to confront the young charge who stood hiding behind one of the large, steel pillars centered throughout the structure. "It's alright. He's gone!" Paige announced as she walked in the girl's direction.

Slowly, the young woman peeked around the corner while taking cautious steps forward.

"What if he comes back?" she questioned nervously.

"Then don't be afraid to call," Paige offered. "Now where do you live, um," she hesitated for a moment. "What exactly is your name again?" she prodded.

"Tiffany," the girl answered her.

"Right, Tiffany. Well, Tiffany, then I should definitely be getting you back home," Paige insisted. Then, she looked around as another thought crossed her mind. "Hey, how did you get all the way out here anyway?" she questioned the young woman.

The young woman smiled at Paige and then closed her eyes. She materialized into a flurry of blue and white orbs reappearing into the same position she had been standing in before. Paige flinched and was suddenly taken aback at the sight of Tiffany disappearing and reappearing before her.

"Wait a minute!" Paige exclaimed. "You're a whitelighter?"

"Yes," the girl admitted. "I heard a call and thought I was coming to help a charge," she explained to Paige. "Only, when I got here, there was nobody around. Until he appeared out of nowhere and I realized it was a trap. But, by then, it was too late. So, I sent out a cry for help hoping that someone would hear my call. And you did. So, thank you," she offered with a heavy sigh.

"You're welcome," Paige replied back. "But how is a darklighter able to fake cries of help coming from charges?" Paige pondered out loud.

And like we need this problem added to our already full plate she thought to herself. As it was, they were already dealing with Prue trying to recover her lost past so that they could begin preparing on how to defeat the Triad once and for all.

"We don't know," Tiffany answered truthfully, with a shrug of her shoulders in the air. "This has been happening to alot of us. Some of us have already been taken out," she admitted sadly with a shake of her head. "But the problem is we have no real way of knowing. Because it could really be a charge in need of our help."

Paige acknowledged the dilemma right away. Every time they were hearing a call it could be a charge who really needed help but on the other-hand, there was the risk that each call was just a trap luring in another whitelighter. Immediately, she thought about her father, Sam. Maybe he had some idea about what was going on and she could ask him about it? After all, she was part whitelighter so this problem effected her too.

"Okay, look, just be careful," Paige advised the young whitelighter standing before her. "I'll see what I can find out about all this," she declared.

"I definitely will," Tiffany readily agreed. "And thanks again," she offered as she orbed away leaving Paige alone to contemplate the entire situation.

**ooooo**

Prue sat on the bedroom floor, emptying boxes that contained some of her old belongings from the past. It was sometime in the afternoon and she realized that the boxes contained keepsakes that her sisters held onto in honor of her memory. One of the items inside a box was a portfolio collection. Apparently, they were pictures that she, herself, had taken while working as a photographer for _415 Magazine_. She was impressed by the quality of the work and now understood why she had expressed an interest in the profession while living as Marie. Perhaps there was a chance she could look up her old job?

Suddenly, she was startled by the sound of the door bolting open as a clearly, preoccupied Paige entered the room. Upon noticing Prue on the floor, she froze.

"Oh? Sorry!" she declared. "That was rude of me. I, uh, probably should have knocked first," she offered up uneasily.

"No, it's okay," Prue offered back as she arose from the floor, using her hands to brush off the back of her pants in the process. "It's, uh, Paige, right?"

"That's me!" Paige confirmed with an awkward laugh, a bit nervous about where this conversation would lead.

Prue released a small smile in her direction while placing her two hands inside of her back, pant pockets. "Look, I realize things have been a little crazy the past few days or so but I really did want to thank you," she began.

Paige openly relaxed. "Thank me? For what?" she asked feeling a little perplexed.

"Well, for starters, sticking up for me and Andy when those Elders took him away," she opened up. "But also for going out of your way and helping me out that night when I had nowhere else to go. Thank you," Prue offered with sincerity.

Paige felt a rush of euphoria overtake her. These past couple days she had actually been dreading the idea of facing her oldest sister again. After all, she had been the one to give Prue that god awful advice to have faith in the greater good when it came to her relationship with Andy. Then no less than a few hours later, the greater good snatches him away from her in a heartbeat. She honestly felt like kicking herself for it but, instead, here Prue was thanking her for all her help. It made Paige feel accepted.

"Nah, it was nothing," Paige humbly accepted her sister's gratitude with a wave of her hand in the air. "Besides, what are sisters for, right?" she added with a simple shrug of her shoulders and a quick smile.

"Right. I guess." Prue sighed and looked around the room. "So, uh, maybe I can return the favor and help you? Was there something in here you were looking for?" she asked the woman she had come to learn was her youngest sister. "And sorry about the mess," she apologized as she bent down to the floor, returning the scattered items back into the boxes.

"Well, actually, I was looking for the Book of Shadows but I can't seem to find it," Paige started to explain. "We usually keep it up in the attic but it's not there. I thought maybe Piper or Billie left it somewhere," she continued before stopping when she caught the questioning look on Prue's face.

"Oh, right, you probably don't remember what that is," Paige concluded, suddenly feeling stupid. "See, um, the Book of Shadows is like our own personal bible. It contains all this important information on demons that may attack and tells us how to vanquish them with different spells or potions of sorts. It's been in our family for like generations," she finished explaining to her.

Prue listened. "The Book of Shadows," she repeated as she suddenly recalled one piece of information retrieved from her dream last night.

_Incantation? What incantation? Wait, you included me in this too? No, she included all of us. Give your powers to we sisters three? It's a book of witchcraft._

It was odd, but the feeling hit Prue like a ton of bricks. That feeling of familiarity overtook her about the Book. She remembered what it looked like, what it was suppose to contain, and she even maintained a personal sense of having used it before. She even remembered the unique symbol found on the cover.

"The Triquetra!" Prue blurted out without thinking. "The symbol on the cover. I remember the Book," she exclaimed more to herself rather than Paige.

Paige was startled for a brief moment. "You remember?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do," Prue answered her back.

Prue began looking around the room in search of it. After looking under the bed and finding no traces of it there, she proceeded to open the closet door and look inside. When she found no evidence of it located there, her next destination was the dresser drawers. She had brushed by Paige, who stood motionless, completely baffled by her oldest sister's new obsession with recovering the Book of Shadows.

"Uh, Prue," Paige began cautiously, watching her sister's frantic movements. "Maybe you should let me try and find it first, then we can look over it together," she suggested uneasily.

However, her suggestion went unheard as Prue brushed by Paige again, this time out the door and into the hallway.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Paige demanded as she followed behind her.

"You said the Book of Shadows is kept in the attic, right?" Prue asked over her shoulder as she continued in her long, determined strides down the hall.

"Uh yeah, but I already said it wasn't there," Paige answered with a confused shake of her head. She tried to keep up the pace. Gee, why couldn't Piper or Phoebe be here at a time like this, she vented to herself. I have no idea how to handle this!' "Where's Piper anyway?" she decided to ask Prue.

Prue bolted up the stairs leading to the attic as Paige still trailed from behind. "Uh, I don't know. She said something about dropping the kids off somewhere and something about a doctor's appointment," confirmed Prue.

_Uh-oh, was something wrong with the baby?_

Paige's concern immediately drifted to the welfare of both Piper and the baby. She hoped nothing was wrong with either of them. It was kind of soon for another check-up. Usually, visits to the doctor become more frequent during the last term of pregnancy.

"Well, did she say when she'd be back?" Paige inquired as Prue entered the attic and continued to walk in the direction of the podium.

"Paige, look, I have no idea," Prue answered back in a distracted manner as she stopped in front of the podium.

A podium without a book. She slowly ran her hand over the surface of the small, wooden structure. Paige, stood silently, watching the scene before her. However, just as quickly, both women were broken from the moment when a man with dark hair and an evil glare suddenly orbed into the manor attic in front of them. His black orbs faded as he produced his crossbow, preparing to aim it in the direction of Paige.

"So. We meet again witch!" the darklighter addressed Paige with a snare. "Too bad your whitelighter half led me straight to you!" he mocked, refering to the unique ability of whitelighters and darklighters sensing each other. He was so engrossed in his mockery towards Paige that he barely noticed the presence of Prue. That was until he went to fire his crossbow in Paige's direction and she intervened.

"NO!" Prue shouted as she instinctively waved her hand and sent the crossbow flying out of his hands and onto the floor. The startled darklighter looked to the ground and then to Prue.

"Well. What do we have here?" he mocked again. "Another witch?" Then, upon observing her more closely, the darklighter drew his own conclusions. "So, I guess the rumors are true. You are alive. And now, that makes four Charmed Ones," he concluded. "Soon to be two," he added with an evil grin.

Prue boldly stepped forward in his direction. "Leave my sisters alone!" she declared with a deadly determination.

"Prue? Don't!" Paige tried to warn her sister off.

There was no way she was ready to take on demons by herself. Not yet. Paige watched as the darklighter averted his gaze in the direction of the crossbow sprawled on the floor and immediately she called out for it.

"Crossbow!" she shouted out as it materialized into an array of blue and white orbs.

But it was too late. They had taken the bait and while Paige distracted herself with calling out for the crossbow, the darklighter was provided with the opportunity to summon his real crossbow. He aimed it at Prue and fired. The crossbow lying on the floor had been an illusion and when it failed to reappear in Paige's hand, it was only then she had realized the truth. Her eyes quickly darted to Prue who was falling to the ground and the darklighter was now aiming the real crossbow in her direction.

"Arrow!" Paige quickly reacted by calling for it and sending it back in the darklighter's direction.

Once again, the darklighter escaped by orbing out, his crossbow still in hand. But, at the moment, that was not Paige's immediate concern. It was for her older sister who lie injured on the ground. Quickly, she ran to her side.

"Prue!" she shouted as she kneeled down at her side.

"One is good enough for now," had been the darklighter's parting comment when he orbed back into different position in the attic. Paige looked up in his direction, sending him a chilling stare, before he faded away.

Prue had felt the sharp tip pierce through her skin upon contact. The stinging sensation erupted into a full-blown burn coursing throughout her entire body, beginning at the point of penetration. Almost instantly, she had clutched her side and had fallen to the floor in agonizing pain.

"Ow! Don't," she pleaded when Paige tried shifting her body weight off of her injured side onto the other side. Sweat was quickly forming at the top of her forehead, matting the edges of her raven-colored hair, as Prue's temperature appeared to be spiking dramatically.

"Prue, I'm really sorry, but we need to heal you fast!" Paige declared in a panic. She lifted her sister's shirt to observe the infected area around the wound. The area surrounding the point of penetration was already inflamed. "You're having a bad reaction to the poison," she determined upon taking in Prue's drastic decline.

The arrow was clearly noticeable as the front and back end were both visible to the naked eye. But finding and removing the arrow wasn't going to be the problem. The problem was how they were going to remove the arrow without putting Paige at risk too. Touching the poisoned arrow could be deadly for her. She needed help now.

"Leo!" Paige shouted out into the air, hoping that her brother-in-law would heed her call for help. "Leo, please! It's an emergency. We need your help NOW!" she cried.

"Paige," Prue's groggy voice drifted into the air.

She was beginning to have a hard time holding onto consciousness and she felt a shortness of breath take root in her chest. Was this it? Was she going to die for real this time? All she could think about was Molly and what this would mean for her daughter. Sure enough, her sisters would probably take good care of her in the aftermath of her death but she didn't want to leave her at such a young age. The only comforting fact was that she would get to see Andy again if she did go. And what about this new power that was needed to defeat some evil known as the Triad? Her sisters wouldn't be able to do it without her.

"Prue?" Paige called out as she watched her sister drifting, eyes opening and closing.

She couldn't let her give up, they needed her. She needed her and she wasn't going to let death pull her away so soon when she finally got the chance to have her oldest sister in her life.

"Stay with me," she instructed. "Just keep looking at me."

Prue tried really hard to remain awake but she just couldn't anymore. Finally, Paige's image transformed into a blurry mass before her. "I'm sorry. I can't," came her barely audible response. "Molly. Tell her, tell Molly I love her," Prue muttered in bits and pieces before finally losing consciousness. Her eyes closed and her head slumped to the side.

"No! No!" Paige panicked. "Prue, don't!!"

Quickly, she bent down and put her ear close to Prue's mouth and chest. Paige sighed with some relief. At least her sister was still breathing, faintly, but still breathing. She also grabbed for her sister's wrist to check for a pulse. It too, was faint, but still there.

_Damn. If my power was more like Prue or Billie's I could probably just move the damn thing right out of her and be done with it. Where the hell's Billie when you need her? _

Paige knew her only option would be to call for the arrow. But because it was wedged in between her sister's skin, that meant the risk of the arrow making contact with her hand after she called for it. Any unrestricted objects she could call for and move without very much trouble but this was different. Just as she was about to take the risk, her prayers must have gone answered because she swore she heard Billie's voice traveling up the staircase.

"Piper? Anybody home?" Billie's voice drifted through the air as she got closer.

Suddenly, Billie entered the attic with the Book of Shadows clad tightly in her arms. A young man walked in with her. However, Paige didn't have time to ponder it or reprimand Billie because her sister's life was at stake. Paige quickly stood on her feet and waved Billie over to her the minute she caught sight of her.

"Paige, hey, what's going on," Billie's voice trailed off as she caught Prue lying on the floor and Paige's frantic state. Billie quickly threw the Book on the table and walked over. "Oh my god, what happened?" she shrieked.

"Billie, act now, questions later!" Paige instructed with unmistakable urgency laced in between her words. "I need you to use your power to remove the arrow from her side because I can't touch it."

Billie used her hands to push her hair behind her ears as she knelt down beside her mother to find the problem. And there it was. The arrow was stuck through her side. There was no mistaking it, it was the arrow from a darklighter's crossbow. After her morning classes, she and JD had spent the afternoon scanning the section of the book covering information about darklighters. However, they had no luck in id'ing the darklighter with the particular powers JD had described so they had returned to the manor in the hopes of getting some help from one of the sisters.

"Okay, I got it, everyone stand clear," Billie instructed JD and Paige as she placed herself in the right position to move the arrow from Prue's injured body. With the wave of her two fingers, the arrow began to move slowly until the entire length of it moved through the flesh to the exit point and then Billie sent it flying in the direction of a wall.

"A darklighter," JD commented as he caught sight of the arrow embedded in the wall.

Paige quickly returned to her sister's side. "Yeah, that's right? And you would be?" She placed her hands over the gaping wound, waiting for the healing energy to take its effect.

"JD," he answered with sincerity. "I'm a whitelighter. I was Sam's charge, remember?"

Paige looked to the young man as the white light emanated from her hand. Billie remained at Prue's other side, a worrisome expression gracing her features. Paige briefly glanced over in her direction. "The Book never leaves the house, Billie!" Paige chastised her niece.

"It was safe. It didn't leave my sight the entire time," she defended. "Besides, Piper knows I was using it!"

"That's not the point, Billie," Paige argued. "And I doubt Piper gave you permission to take it out of the manor. I should know, once upon a time, I tried that very same stunt myself," she stressed.

Paige was beginning to feel her energy drain but with no sign of recovery in Prue. Why wasn't she healing? Now, her own face was masked with a worrisome expression, one that matched Billie's.

"What's wrong?" Billie asked with alot of concern. "Why isn't it working?" She looked to Paige for an answer.

"I don't know," Paige admitted. "It should be but it's not." Then, she turned to address the young whitelighter standing in the background watching the scene. "Hey. I'm going to need you over here. Try using your healing energy and combine it together with mine," she instructed him.

JD began to object as he put his hands up in the air and backed away. "Whoa there, I still haven't mastered the whole healing gig yet," he protested. "I wouldn't be much help to you!"

Billie turned around, her eyes pleading with him. "JD, please? We can't let her die! Just try it," she insisted.

"Billie, I explained to you what happened before," he argued with her. "How can you ask me to make the same mistake twice? I can't heal and when she dies it'll be my fault," he reasoned irrationally.

"Listen, you two, we don't have time to argue about this," Paige interjected sternly. "JD, are you going to help me or not?" Paige could feel herself weakening and she feared if she let go so would Prue.

"Please! She's my mother," Billie pleaded with him one final time.

JD looked between Billie and Paige and then to the other woman lying on the attic floor. But it was Billie's admission that eventually led him to his decision to give in. "Fine! I'll give it a try. But, I'm not making any promises." He walked over and knelt down beside Paige and extended his hands next to hers.

Slowly, a faint white light began to shine through JD's hands as that small amount of energy conjoined with what was left of Paige's. But it was no use. Paige was too spent and JD's healing power hadn't manifested itself enough to contribute to the amount of healing energy Prue's injury apparently required. They needed Leo and they needed him fast! His elder-like healing ability was the only hope left.

"It's no use," Paige finally gave up, as the energy ceased to flow through her hands. JD backed off as well. "Something else is wrong but I don't know what it is."

"Sorry, but I warned you I wouldn't be much help," he declared once more while standing back up on his feet. He looked across from him, in Billie's direction, and caught a glimpse of the disappointment that momentarily passed over her face.

"You tried. Thank you," Billie offered up.

"Billie, do you have your cell phone on you? If you do, can I have it please?" Paige asked as she stretched her hand out in Billie's direction.

"Um, yeah, sure," Billie answered as she grabbed for the small cell phone shoved inside one of her pockets. "Here."

Paige reached over and took the phone. Then, she proceeded to punch in Piper's number waiting for her to answer her own ringing cell phone. They needed to locate Leo and find out what was wrong with Prue before she died. Finally she heard Piper's voice pick up from the other end.

"Piper?" she exclaimed frantically over the phone. "Get home. We've got a big problem!"

**ooooo **

Piper sat in the examination room awaiting the return of the doctor.

The stress had been accumulating over the course of the past week or so and was finally having an effect. A physical effect on her body. She quickly came to the conclusion that she needed to calm herself down and relax because it all wasn't worth losing her baby over.

"Okay, Piper," the doctor stated upon opening the door and walking back in. The woman was carrying one of Piper's medical charts in her hand. "You can get dressed. Your blood pressure is a little high so I'm going to prescribe something small to help with that. But if the spotting continues, please let me know," she concluded as she ripped off the written prescription from her notepad and handed it to Piper.

Skeptically, Piper reached out for the piece of paper. "Uh, medication? Is that really necessary?" she inquired with some evident concern.

The doctor smiled. "Don't worry. It won't harm the baby," she reassured her. The doctor turned around to exit the room as Piper started to redress. However, at that exact moment, her cell phone rang too.

"Great. Perfect timing," Piper muttered to herself as she shoved the shirt over her head and reached inside her purse for her cell phone. "Hey, what's up?" she answered.

"Piper?" she heard Paige's frantic voice come across the phone. "Get home. We've got a big problem!" she exclaimed with a heavy breath.

"What's the matter now?" Piper asked, her face suddenly crestfallen.

"It's Prue," Paige declared. "We're at the manor, in the attic. A darklighter attacked and Prue was hit by an arrow. She's having a bad reaction and I can't heal her! We need Leo's help, where is he?"

"What?" Piper exclaimed through the phone. She quickly thrust her legs into her pants, pulling it over her legs, before buttoning and zipping the front. "How is that even possible? Paige, the poison shouldn't be effecting her like that, she's just a witch, not a whitelighter," she argued logically. "Is the injury fatal?"

"No, the arrow's only sticking through her side," Paige explained, as she raised her voice.

"Look, Piper, I REALLY don't know what's wrong, okay?" she continued on in a panicked state. "Could you just get home fast? I'm here with Billie but Leo's not answering me!"

Piper grabbed for the rest of her belongings, in a haste, as she quickly made her way to the door.

"Paige, Leo should be at the magic school. Send Billie there to get him if he's not answering your calls. I'm on my way right now," she declared firmly as she ended the call.

While she left the doctor's office as quickly as her two legs could carry her, an overwhelming sense of doom settled in the pit of her stomach as her own panic came to life. She had tried to remain calm and rational on the phone with Paige but she felt anything but that at this moment. How could this all be happening so suddenly? A few days ago she was dealing with the return of her dead sister but now she could be losing her for real?

_No, no. That's not going to happen. Prue's strong, she'll fight it. Whatever IT may be. _

She opened the car door and stepped into the driver's side, sitting down. As she slammed the door shut, she reached for her cell phone a second time. This time, she dialed the number she sought. Phoebe. However, all she received was voice-mail from the other end of the line.

She started the ignition and put the car into reverse, her phone cradled tightly between her head and shoulder. As she looked over her shoulder to back out of her parking space, she left a message.

"Phoebe, this is Piper. As soon you get this message, get to the manor. It's an emergency. Prue's hurt and in serious trouble,"she finished and clicked the cell phone shut, throwing it onto the passenger's seat beside her.

As Piper pulled out onto the road, her final thought passed through her mouth.

"Hang on, Prue. We're coming!"

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **okay, I'm back and finally got through with this chapter, **lol. **I hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for the next chapter which should be coming soon. **:o)**


	19. Truth or Consequence

Thanks for all the reviews, it's good to be back. I know I'm updating a little later than usual but I just have other stuff going on right now.

**Disclaimer: **A few quotes are borrowed from the season two episode, **P3 H20**. No infringement intended.

**Jedi Alanna**: About your theory? You're warm but that's all I'm giving you. But the good news? That particular revelation is coming up very soon, **lol**. Oh, and it is _wring_. I had it right the first time, don't know why I changed it. But I guess that's what happens when you're tired and you try editing (_shrugs)._

**Queen of Gabb 488**, glad I could be of service **lol**. Yeah, I know what it's like to be desperate for a good read **;o)**

**I.Dont.Break.Hearts.Just.Bones: **thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you're still following this story and the Billie revelation is coming right up. **;o)**

And welcome to my new reviewer, **1treehillcharmed**. It's good to have you on board and I'm happy to hear you're enjoying the story. And allow me to point out that you're my first reviewer to pick up on the Molly clue. I thought others might question it but you're the only one to have brought it up, so good catch. That particular revelation is coming up soon as well and I wrote Molly that way on purpose because I had it planned from the beginning. Both you and **Jedi** are warm on where I'm going with it though.

* * *

**Chapter 18: Truth or Consequence **

The foggy abyss surrounded Leo as he walked around in dire search of what he had come looking for. While at the magic school, Leo had summoned enough magic needed to enter what was known as the _Mystic Realm_. Of course, he had accomplished this feat with some assistance from Dimitri. In Leo's eyes, the guy was turning out not to be so bad. At least, when compared to the other Elders who had done nothing but help to make their lives miserable over the course of the past five years.

"Hello?" Leo beckoned into the dimly, lit realm. He wasn't sure whether or not anybody would be in charge of looking over the realm once he got there but he took the chance of coming anyway.

The _Mystic Realm _was a magical dimension that hosted portals leading into many different realms. Leo was hoping to locate the portal leading into the realm inhabited by the _Afterlife Council_. After doing some of his own research in the school, Leo discovered that this particular council was responsible for ushering souls in and out of the various planes of existence. There were some souls that never left the spirit world, also known as the astral plane, and they were assigned tasks throughout the immortal realms. Other souls entered the mortal world for the first time for a physical incarnation. Then there were the souls that were allowed to re-enter the mortal world again and this transition was known as the reincarnation process.

In addition to this information, he had discovered that the _Afterlife Council _was also tasked with deciding which mortals were to become whitelighters upon their entrance into the afterlife. These souls, like Leo himself, would be assigned charges, by the Elder Council, within the mortal realm. Charges in which they would be responsible to watch over and guide. Surprisingly, the Elders and its Council were headed by the _Afterlife Council _as well. Therefore, the Elders were accountable to someone after all.

"Is anybody here?" Leo tried one more time to make sure he was alone.

He wanted to be cautious because, thus far, this seemed like their only viable shot at helping Andy. Leo knew he was going above the Elders heads, in this way, but he would lose no sleep over it. After all, they had started this whole mess by rearranging destiny and playing around with the greater good. However, the problem he was facing was that the _Afterlife Council _existed on a realm opened by invitation only. In other-words, the Council summoned who they sought and not the other way around. Leo didn't have express permission to appear before them because he had found a back entrance there, through this realm. So he had no idea what to expect when he got there but he hoped to be able to plead Andy's case.

As the foggy mist began to clear, Leo noticed that he was wedged in between portals. They created a circle around him and each portal hung in the air carrying a faint glow with a tinted color. The different colors intended to signify, to the traveler, which realm he or she would be entering into. Quickly, Leo pulled out the book he had taken with him from the school library. When he opened it to the page that detailed the conditions relating to the particular portal he needed, his eyes scanned over each portal entrance in search of the one that held a faint, lavender tint in its aura.

"There you are," he mumbled upon locating it. He slowly walked towards the opening.

**ooooo**

In the attic, Billie sat beside the couch, her hand pressing the thin, cloth-like material firmly against the open wound. She was worried. No, actually, that was an understatement. She was scared. What did this mean? That Prue was going to die for real this time before she even had the chance to tell her the truth? She had just lost the only parents she had ever known to evil a little more than six months ago.

_This greater good trade-off is beginning to really suck_.

Approximately ten minutes ago and with some help from JD, she and Paige had lifted Prue from the hardened floor and placed her on the antic couch against the wall. They had wanted to make her more comfortable while Paige threw some ingredients together for a quick potion so Billie could enter the magic school. Then, Paige would try to use some of her healing energy again after she felt recharged. At the very least, it seemed to be keeping Prue stabilized. Even though she wasn't getting any better, at least she wasn't getting any worse. However, that thought was short-lived when Prue began to shudder. She looked like she was breaking into convulsions, almost like she was having a seizure.

"Uh, Paige?" Billie panicked as she quickly stood to her feet. "What's happening?"

JD, too, stood on his own two feet from where he was seated on the floor as Paige rushed back from the table, two vials in her hand. Both she and JD came to Billie's side. Paige thrust the potion vials in Billie's hand as she knelt down in front of Prue's shaking form.

"Here!" Paige had exclaimed. "Get Leo! And hurry," she instructed as Billie took the vials and proceeded to position herself in the center of the attic. "JD? I'm going to need you to hold her down," she added.

JD tried to hold her in place by pressing down on Prue's shoulders while Paige attempted to use her healing energy one more time. Billie took one last look before throwing one of the vials and disappearing into a cloud of dust. She had one thought on her mind as she disappeared and reappeared inside the magic school.

_Please be okay._

**ooooo**

Phoebe rushed into the ladies' bathroom at her office and locked the door behind her. After receiving Piper's frantic message, her first instinct had been to call for Coop. It would be the fastest way back to the manor instead of having to drive all the way there from the office.

_Where the hell was Leo anyway_?

"Coop?" Phoebe hissed out loud. "I need you!"

When Phoebe turned around, a pink glow emanated inside the bathroom and Coop appeared. A big smile was plastered on his face as he observed the location and all his surroundings.

"Wow, the ladies' bathroom? How romantic," he teased but when he noticed the devastation plastered across Phoebe's face. His own smile was quickly replaced with a look of concern. "Phoebe, is something wrong?" he asked.

"Yeah, actually, something is very wrong," she answered. "And I need you to take us back to the manor right away. There might not be much time," she pleaded with her eyes. When she caught sight of his puzzled look, she continued on. "I'll explain when we get there," she added, realizing that she hadn't gotten the opportunity to share the news of her _dead_sister's resurrection with her fiance yet.

Coop gently pulled Phoebe into an embrace and the two of them disappeared into the same pink glow that he had appeared in only a few short moments before.

**ooooo**

"Leo!" Billie yelled out as she scurried down the long corridor of the magic school. But there was no response from him in return.

"Leo, where are you? It's an emergency! Prue's seriously hurt and we need your help!" she continued to shout out as she entered the big library that housed tons of books.

As Billie looked around the room, she took notice that the refurbishment of the Magic School was actually coming along rather nicely. But, right now, her concerns lied with finding Leo. She turned around to exit the vast library but bumped into someone as she attempted to leave. The young man had been rounding the corner and hadn't seen Billie until it was too late. As she took in his appearance, she quickly concluded that he had to be another Elder. Actually, she recognized him. He was the same Elder that helped Leo rescue them from the clutches of the Underworld not too long ago.

"Sorry," she quickly apologized. "But I'm looking for Leo. Have you seen him?" she pleaded.

"That's quite alright," Dimitri accepted the apology graciously. Then he squinted his eyes as he quickly contemplated whether the young woman looked familiar or not. He placed the memory. "And you would be, Billie?" he asked.

"Yes," she affirmed in a brusque manner. "And I really don't mean to be rude or anything but I really don't have time to chit chat with you. Do you know where Leo is or not?" she asked for the second time.

"Leo's not here," Dimitri verified for her. "He traveled to another magical realm but I'm afraid he won't be able to hear your calls for him," he finished explaining. "At least, not until he comes back. I'm afraid the _Mystic Realm _is sealed off against communication from the mortal world."

"Are you kidding me?" Billie exclaimed, losing all hope. "We're at Magic school," she argued. "We're not even in the mortal world!"

"Technically, we are," Dimitri corrected. "Magical mortals can access the school whenever they choose to. It's non-magical mortals that are denied entrance. Immortals, such as myself, may inhabit the school from time to time but the Magic School is technically a part of the mortal, magical community. This school will tutor many mortals who possess magical gifts," he clarified to her.

"Well, thanks for the free tutoring lesson but all this means is we're so screwed. Prue's going to die if Leo doesn't heal her!" she panicked. "We need him now," she stressed.

"Well, perhaps, I could be of some assistance?" Dimitri offered sincerely. "I can heal. What happened to her?"

Billie looked the Elder over carefully. It's not like they had much of a choice. They needed to try anything at this point and if this particular Elder could heal her mother in Leo's absence, than so be it. Besides, the entire Elder community owed them big time anyway.

"Yeah, okay. But we need to hurry. She got shot by a darklighter's arrow and Paige can't heal her. We don't know what's wrong," she quickly explained as she turned on her heels, preparing to use the other vial to return back to the attic and her injured mother.

"Billie?" Dimitri called out. "I can orb us out of here, remember?"

Billie stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Oh! Yeah, right," she responded as she walked back to stand beside him. She took a hold of his arm as the two of them orbed out of the school and back to the manor.

**ooooo**

"Come on, Prue," Paige begged while kneeling at her sister's side. "Let me heal you." Once again, the white light coming from her hands attempted to heal but nothing happened. But, at least, the convulsions had ceased.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of loud footsteps approaching the attic. As she turned around, she noticed that it was Piper entering the attic in a hurry. Thank god - Paige thought as she released a heavy sigh. Now all they needed was Billie to return with Leo. She quickly wondered what was taking them so long.

"How is she?" Piper immediately inquired upon entering the attic.

Quickly, she walked over to stand between JD and Paige who both stood looking as weary as she felt. She took in her older sister's appearance and a surge of fear coursed through her. Prue didn't look well. Not at all.

"Not good," Paige stated the obvious, as the healing light began to dim again. "Dammit!" she cursed as she felt her energy draining for the third time. Paige got back on her feet and released a sigh. "I don't know what else to do. I thought she wasn't going to get any worse but than she started convulsing just before you got here," she explained to Piper.

"Convulsing? Are you kidding me?" Piper exclaimed.

Piper sighed heavily as she attempted to take a more logical approach to the situation. After Paige's attempt to heal gave out, she sought out the Book of Shadows, lying on the table. While walking over to it, she contemplated what could be different about this particular darklighter. Perhaps the arrows were now tainted by poison deadly to both witches and whitelighters? It was the only explanation that made any sense.

_Thank god I talked Prue into letting me take Molly to Dad's with the boys earlier. This is the last thing Molly needed to be around and see after she watched her father being snatched away from her a few days ago. _

That one thought crossed Piper's mind as she continued to see out an answer for what was happening to Prue. At first, Prue had been hesitant to let Molly go but Piper convinced her that because Molly and Wyatt were so close in age, he had grown rather attached to her as a playmate. Eventually, Prue had given in and let her go with them. She had dropped all three kids off at her father's before her appointment and was surprised to discover that he already knew who Molly was. Apparently, Phoebe had already told him about Prue, Billie, and Molly because he immediately wanted to know about Prue. It was kind of a bittersweet moment for her father as she watched him introduce himself to Molly as her grandfather. How were they suppose to tell him that Prue died if she didn't make it out of this alive?

At the same time Piper went for the Book on the table, Phoebe teleported in with Coop. Quickly, she stepped out of Coop's arms and looked to her two sisters for an explanation.

"Is she okay?" she immediately inquired. When she only received two, solemn stares in response to her question, she averted her attention over to the couch. "Oh my god," she muttered as she approached Prue.

However, every-ones attention was grabbed for the second time as Billie orbed back into the manor with Dimitri at her side. Piper and Paige looked to each other and then back to Billie.

"Billie, where's Leo?" Paige quickly inquired. "We don't have time for this crap," she argued, becoming defensive at the sight of the Elder before them. Piper left the Book and came back over to stand beside Paige.

"What's going on, where's Leo?" Piper demanded to know.. "And whatever the problem is, we don't care. Right now, Prue is our only concern," she spat out firmly.

Phoebe, on the other-hand, barely took notice of the Elder. She was preoccupied with Prue's condition as she knelt down and gently took one of her sister's hands into hers. She brushed a stray piece of drenched hair off of Prue's forehead. Coop stood in the background, silently watching Phoebe and the strange woman who captured her attention.

"No, wait," Billie quickly interjected, placing her hands up in the air and hoping to clear up the misunderstanding. "He's here to help until Leo gets back," she explained.

"I'm going to try and heal her," Dimitri explained rather calmly despite the unwarm welcome. "Maybe I can pick up what's wrong and why Paige is having trouble?" he suggested as he glanced over at Prue stretched out on the couch.

The two women stood back. "Go for it," Piper announced as she crossed her arms and watched the Elder approach her unconscious sister.

Dimitri approached the young woman, from behind, the one who knelt at her sister's side. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder to allow him room to heal her injured sister. Reluctantly, Phoebe released Prue's hand and she stood up while the Elder knelt down to locate the source of the injury. After locating the afflicted area, Dimitri placed his hands over the open wound and closed his eyes. He placed all his concentration into thrusting his energy outward until a bright, pulsing light emanated from his hands. And while the energy spurted forth, he could feel something pulling at it. He quickly concluded it to be the source of the energy drain inflicted on Paige because it, too, had been affected by the deadly poison. Dimitri's energy poured into that life and when the healing had completed he could feel his healing begin to work on Prue.

Piper, Paige, and Billie all stood side by side watching the scene before them, each one of them silently praying that it would work. Phoebe had backed away from the scene and was now standing by Coop, who bent down to find out what was going on.

"Phoebe, what happened?" he asked his soon-to-be wife. "Who is she?"

Phoebe swallowed before answering his question. "That's our sister," she replied. "That's Prue."

Coop turned his head back in the direction of the Elder and Prue. "Wait a minute," Coop declared, a bit confused by the revelation. "Prue? As in your dead sister?" he asked for clarification.

"You heard me right," she confirmed. "Apparently, she was never dead but that might not hold true for very long if this doesn't work," she concluded somberly. Phoebe kept her eyes on Dimitri and Prue the entire time she spoke.

Coop closed his eyes and sighed. Then, he reached out his arms to pull her into an embrace. "I'm sorry," he offered sincerely, realizing his reference to death hadn't come at the best of moments.

Phoebe welcomed the embrace as his arms encircled from behind her. Her head fell back into the crevace of his neckline. "Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong but I really don't want to talk about the past right now," she admitted truthfully.

"Sure, I completely understand," he muttered, kissing the top of her head. He reached both of his hands down and grasped them firmly with hers as their fingers clasped together. At the same time, they turned their attention in Piper, Paige, and Billie's direction as Piper began to inquire about Leo.

"Billie, where the heck is Leo?" Piper asked, concerned about her husband's whereabouts.

"I don't know, Dimitri said something about the _Mystic Realm_?" she answered. "And something about how he can't hear our calls for help while he's there," she finished.

Coop, overhearing the explanation, decided to interject. "The _Mystic Realm_?" he questioned. "That's a portal realm," he provided them. "Where's he trying to get to?" Phoebe turned around to look at him.

"I don't know," Piper contemplated. "That's the first that I've heard of some portal realm!" She looked to Billie and Paige, who didn't know anymore than she did, each shrugging their shoulders in response. "But he better have a good explanation when he gets back," she barked, looking back at Coop.

"Uh, I can go and look for him? If you want me to?" he offered as he looked between Billie and the sisters. "Just in case," he added, nodding in Prue's direction. Everyone understood his insinuation.

"Yeah, please do," Piper agreed readily.

Coop smiled faintly and faded out as the three sisters and Billie returned their attention to Dimitri and Prue.

**ooooo**

She could hear it again. The sound penetrated the darkness that surrounded her. A baby was crying somewhere in the distance. Who's baby was that? And why did the crying penetrate her senses so strongly? Prue felt a link. A connection to that cry as it got louder and continued to pull her in. And then, suddenly, a picture formed in her mind. This time instead of watching the scene, she was a participant in the events that played out before her ...

_Slowly, she felt herself approach a dock. This dock was surrounded by water and alot of people were swarming around. There were police men and an ambulance. Prue remembered that her mommy had told her that the funny looking car with the red siren making noise only appeared when someone was very sick and needed to be taken to a doctor right away. _

_As Prue felt her young self approach the dock, she could see the woman sprawled out on top of it. It was her mommy but she wasn't moving at all. Mommy looked like she was sleeping only she knew she wasn't. Prue felt a sensing, a sensing that told her mommy was gone. Gone forever._

_Tears escaped her eyes as she called out. "Mommy?!"_

_Her call caught the attention of both the police and medics scurrying on the scene. "Oh, don't let her see her mother like this," one of them shouted out. "Get her out of here!"_

_Then, one of them approached her from the side. "You're Prue, right?" he asked her. "Your Grams is looking for you," he added as he picked her up._

_"Mommy?!" she yelled one last time over the man's shoulder and squirmed as he began to walk away with her ..._

Prue felt the memory rewind. The picture scrambled backwards until the picture in her mind was replaced by a scene earlier in the day. Before she found her mother sprawled out the dock, not moving.

_Prue felt her hand smack the ball back in the other little girl's direction. She was at an after-school day camp and they were the last two kids waiting to get picked up. It was the same camp she spent the past two summers at. After school hours, the children were divided up into their appropriate age groups and they engaged in various activities suited for their age. _

_Prue looked out at the water until the ball was thrown back at her. It was hot and she wished they could swim but they weren't allowed to because somebody had drowned in that water. Piper liked her swimming lessons but she had stayed home from camp today because she had gotten sick. And it was time to go home. Suddenly, Prue caught sight of her mother approaching. A man was at her side. Finally, she had come to pick her up and bring her home._

_"Mommy," she squealed as she dropped the big, red ball and ran in her mother's direction. The other little girl bent down to pick up the ball and watched as her retreating playmate became engulfed in a giant hug by her mother._

_As Prue looked up, she could tell that her mother looked like she had been crying. "Are you sad again, mommy?" she asked her mother._

_Patty wiped against her eyes. She smiled down at her daughter. "No, Prue, mommy is fine," she lied to her daughter. She bent down to reach eye level with her. "Listen, today, we're not going to go home right away. Okay? Mommy has something very important she needs to do."_

_Prue nodded her head in acceptance. "Okay," she agreed. _

_But Prue didn't believe her mommy when she said she wasn't sad. Mommy had been acting very sad for a long time. She had even gotten fat for awhile and Prue thought maybe that had made mommy sad but when she stopped being fat, mommy only got sadder. As the sun cast its rays on her, Prue squinted her eyes and glanced up at the tall, dark-haired man standing next to her mother. _

_Did he make mommy sad? her small mind wondered. _

_"Prue, this is ..." Patty hesitated before introducing the man to her daughter. "Sam. He's very special to us and he's going to look after you for a little bit while mommy takes care of something. So, I want you to be very good for him. Stay with him and listen to what he tells you," she stressed sternly. "Do you understand?"_

_Prue nodded her head and her mother smiled. _

_"Good," Patty replied as she pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "I love you, baby," she added as she pulled back and cupped her hands on the sides of her daughter's head, straightening her raven hair down._

_"I love you," Prue muttered back as her mother stood up to address Sam._

_"Patty, don't," Sam began to plead before Patty cut him off._

_"Sam, we've already been through this," she answered with determination. "This needs to be done now. And I need you to watch after Prue. Please? Don't let her out of your sight," she stressed. _

_"What if it doesn't work?" he argued further but Patty turned around in the direction of the lake anyway and began walking away. "Patty?" he tried to reason with her one last time. Finally, giving up, he released a heavy sigh and turned his attention back to a young Prue who stood looking between him and her mother's retreating figure._

_Prue watched as the man named Sam knelt down in front of her. Why did he look at her that way? He looked sad, the same way mommy looked lately. Maybe they made each other sad? _

_"Wow, look at you, Prue. You know, you've gotten so much bigger since the last time I saw you," he said to her. "And you look just like your mom," he added with a smile. He brought his hand up against Prue's cheek in a gentle, paternal gesture. His remark earned him a smile from Prue. He reached out to take her hand which she accepted and they began walking back up in the direction of the woods._

_Sam led her up the winding path through the woods and to the car that was parked on the small road. Her mother's car. He opened the door and let her sit inside on the passenger's side. He knelt down in front of her as he began speaking. Prue thought the man named Sam looked scared. Why did he look scared?_

_"Prue, I need you to stay here. It's very important that you listen to me," he urged her. "Don't move. I need to go back and help your mommy but you can't follow me, understand?" he asked her._

_Prue nodded her head to let him know she understood._

_Sam smiled at her. "Good girl," he remarked as he used his hands to cup the sides of her small face. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before backing away. "You're special. Always remember that." _

_And with that said, he stood up and closed the door. _

_Prue watched as he retreated back down the path into the woods. Finally, she couldn't see him anymore. And she had tried. She had tried very hard to keep her promise. But, it was a long time and nobody had come back for her. She heard the loud sound of the sirens approaching and she needed to make sure her mommy hadn't gotten sick. So, she opened that car door and proceeded to walk back down the long, winding pathway, the path that led back to the camp and the lake. _

Prue could hear the faint sounds of voices and the sight of a face coming back into focus as she felt a strong energy flowing through her. Her consciousness suddenly came back full circle. When she opened her eyes, she took in the sight of a man hovering above her. He looked unfamiliar and her natural instinct was to heave out and bolt upright from the couch.

"What happened?" she exclaimed as Phoebe rushed forward throwing herself towards the couch and pulling Prue into a tight squeeze.

Suddenly, the memory of being hit by the arrow flooded Prue's mind and she reached for her side. But there wasn't any arrow or injury to be found there. It was a miracle, she had been healed.

"I'm okay?" she asked, not completely believing it.

"Thank god!" Phoebe moaned.

Piper closed her eyes and sighed with relief as Paige did the same. Billie's own relief was evident too, as she broke out with a smile in JD's direction. He smiled back because up until now he had remained in the background, feeling completely out of place in the situation. Now, he went to stand beside Billie and she responded by reaching out to hug him. Prue closed her own eyes and accepted the smoldering hug coming from her sister but when she reopened her eyes she found Piper and Paige coming closer too.

"Hey, don't ever do that to us again, " Paige reprimanded Prue playfully. "You scared us."

"Yeah, it's too soon for us to lose you again," Piper added.

Prue cast her eyes in her direction and their stares locked. After Phoebe broke from the hug, Piper approached to give her sister a hug of her own. "I still love you," she muttered against Prue's ear. "And I don't want you to die, so please be more careful," she scolded gently before pulling away.

Prue smirked. "I'll try," she cracked.

Phoebe and Paige looked to each other and broke with small smiles of their own. At least it was a small start for Prue and Piper to break through some of the ice, they both acknowledged to themselves silently. Almost losing someone usually always tends to force things in that direction. Then, Prue turned to address the strange man she hadn't recognized moments before. But now she did. He was dressed in Elder-like attire; therefore, she remembered he had been the one to help rescue them from the Underworld.

"Um, you saved my life?" she questioned him. "Thank you," she offered back when he nodded.

"But it was Paige that kept you alive until I got here," he quickly attributed while nodding in Paige's direction.

Prue glanced at her baby sister who, in return, released a timid smile. Paige felt uncomfortable with being cast in the spotlight; however, Prue responded by offering a warm smile. She opened her arms and extended them for her youngest sister.

"And thank you," Prue teased affectionately.

Paige walked over and allowed her sister's arms to envelop her as Prue offered her words of gratitude.

**ooooo**

Coop entered the _Mystic Realm _to find Leo just in time. Apparently, he was about to maneuver his way through one of the portals. That was until Coop intervened.

"Leo?" he called out. "It's Coop!"

Leo surveyed the layout with his eyes upon hearing the mention of his name, until his sight locked on the Cupid approaching in his direction.

"Coop? What are you doing here?" Leo interrogated.

"Looking for you," he announced rather urgently as he stopped in front of Leo. "The sisters need you. One of them got hurt, shot by a darklighter?" he explained.

Leo's defenses shot to the surface quickly. "Piper?" he asked as his heart began to pound in rapid succession.

"No," Coop responded, putting his hand up in the air, to offer assurance. "She's fine," he finished, putting Leo's fears to rest regarding the welfare of his wife. "It's the other one, Prue? But one of the other Elders is with them now."

Leo visibly relaxed. "Dimitri?" he automatically assumed.

"Yeah, I think so. Although, I'm not really sure," Coop admitted. "But he was trying to heal her when I left."

"She'll be fine, he shouldn't have a problem healing her. But, what about Paige? She couldn't heal her?" Leo asked, contemplating why an Elder was needed instead of a whitelighter that was perfectly capable of healing.

Coop began to shake his head.

"Honestly, I have no idea," he answered the Elder standing before him. "But they're waiting for us back there so we should get going," he urged. Coop latched his hands onto his sides as he glanced around him. "What are you doing here anyway?" he decided to ask out of curiosity. "You do know that you can get lost if you don't know what you're doing, right?" he supplied.

"Um, yeah," Leo stuttered before sharing his information. "But that's a chance I'll have to take. I'm trying to help out a friend here," he finished. Then, he quickly speculated on whether or not he'd be able to ask Coop for some more information about the plane he'd be entering into. Anything he could find out, before going there, would be helpful. "Hey, how much do you know about the _Afterlife Council_?" he inquired.

"The _Afterlife Council_?" Coop repeated. "Why?"

"Because ..."

However, as Leo went in for a deeper explanation, the two men were suddenly pulled into the suction force created by the portal. Apparently, sometime during their discussion, it had opened and created a swirling vortex within the visible spectrum of the entrance. The force was so strong that it pulled both of them inside, neither of them able to resist it.

**ooooo**

Billie had remained in the background, standing beside JD, while the sisters exchanged their words and embraces. As JD turned to address her, he asked her the one question that made her feel even more uneasy, standing there watching the scene before her.

"Aren't you going to go over and say something?" he whispered beside her. "You said she's your mother."

Billie remained in position, her arms folded across her chest. "Yeah, she is. But she doesn't know that," she replied back. When she turned her head in JD's direction, she caught his bewildered expression.

"I don't get it," he responded as he looked between Billie and the other women.

Billie closed her eyes and shook her head. "Forget it. It's a long story," she brushed it off, not wanting to get into the details.

After Paige broke from the embrace, Piper briefly glanced towards Billie and decided to provide her with an opening to tell Prue the truth. Phoebe sat on the couch, taking a seat beside Prue.

"Uh, guys? Listen," Piper began as she addressed her three sisters and Billie.

Prue, Phoebe, and Paige all looked to her before she continued.

"I think we need to give Billie and Prue some time to _talk_," she stressed, looking pointedly at her niece. "Alone. But, please remember, if you need us we'll be right downstairs," Piper reassured her again.

Billie felt the urge to protest; however, she stopped herself from doing so. Piper began walking in the direction of the attic door to exit as JD turned around to follow her lead. Before leaving, he reached his hand out to Billie's, giving hers a reassuring squeeze. She smiled back at him. Phoebe glanced to Paige, who in return, nodded her head. Paige, too, quietly followed in Piper's direction while Dimitri trailed behind her.

"Yeah, okay," Phoebe mumbled.

She reached out her hand and placed it on top of Prue's, in a comforting gesture, as she slowly lifted herself up from the couch. "We love you," she offered. "Both of you," she stressed as she looked between Prue and Billie. Then, she also made her way to exit the attic leaving behind a confused Prue and a nervous Billie.

Prue got up from the couch and turned to face Billie, hoping she could provide an answer for the strange behavior exhibited a few short moments ago. Why in the world did her sisters think that she and Billie needed to talk? She knew nothing about the girl standing before her except that she happened to be another magical witch. A witch that helped them out and lived out of the manor from time to time when she wasn't spending her time at school.

However, upon glancing in the young girl's direction, Prue noticed immediately how visibly tense she was. Billie was picking at her cuticles, a nervous habit that she, herself, was well acquainted with. Prue couldn't help but smile.

"Personally, I find that my nails tend to last longer on my left hand," she tried to break the ice, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Billie, subconsciously, ceased the cuticle picking. "Um, what?" she asked in a confused manner, looking directly at Prue.

With a slight smile, Prue closed her eyes and shook her head. "Never-mind, it was just a joke," she answered. "I pick my cuticles, too, when I'm nervous about something but it's always on my right hand. My left hand has been spared the years of damage I've inflicted onto my right side," she cracked.

"Oh, right," Billie released a small laugh as she quickly brought her hands up and glanced at them. "Yeah, that. It's just a stupid nervous habit I picked up awhile ago," she admitted. "I usually don't even know when I'm doing it. My nails never grow anyway. These," she explained, while holding up her hands to demonstrate. "Are fake!"

_Okay, Billie, just spit it out_. _It's now or never. Either she freaks or she doesn't._

Prue smiled.

"Well, I'm going to make a suggestion here. How about we try going straight to the point that way neither one of us gets left standing on the sidelines picking our cuticles to death," Prue responded lightly while still trying to remain serious. "I mean, they obviously thought there was something important to discuss so do you have any idea what that something might be?"

Billie still felt completely unprepared for this moment. There was a small, staring contest before Billie brought her hands up against her face. For the first time ever, Billie could feel the slight trembling sensation in her hands. She released a groan born out of frustration.

"Yeah, actually there is, but I'm not quite sure how to say it," she finally admitted, bringing her hands back down.

_I'm already blowing this._

Prue crossed the floor closing the distance between them. Gently, she reached out and took one of Billie's hands and addressed her.

"Billie, just say it. I know we really don't know each other all that well but just say whatever it is you think you need to say," she pushed. "Besides, if you don't, I have a feeling that my sisters will."

All the hidden suspense was beginning to make Prue feel anxious. The reason she tackled problems head on was because she couldn't handle any long, dreadful periods of waiting. That was unfamiliar territory for her and this moment was entering that forbidden zone.

"Well, the truth is that you don't remember, so it's probably going to shock you," Billie stalled, standing face to face with Prue.

Prue smirked a bit. "Uh, Billie, trust me, after what I've seen and remembered over the past weeks, nothing will shock me," Prue encouraged, using a dramatic nod of her head.

Billie stared at her before blurting it all out.

"Alrighty then. I'm really your daughter. But you don't remember having me because your grandmother cast a spell to make you forget. Last year, I found out that the Charmed Ones lived here and were really still alive so then they agreed to train me and help me look for my sister. Who was kidnapped by demons but then they tricked me and we all almost got killed. So, then, shortly before you showed back up I found out I was adopted. And Piper blew up. Not literally with her powers or anything but she got mad and ..." but Billie brought all her rambling to an abrupt stop when she got the expression from Prue.

Prue's expression registered somewhere between shock and a blank stare.

"Uh? That came out really wrong, didn't it?" Billie gritted down on her teeth. At the same time, some of her insecurities of not being accepted rose to the surface.

"No, I'm just really shocked," Prue blurted out, completely oblivious to the comment she had made just a moment before.

Prue's initial reaction upon hearing the admission was that the young girl had to be joking. Had she just heard correctly? Billie had used the word daughter but was that even a remote possibility? She had not been expecting to hear something like that.

"But I thought nothing could shock you?" Billie inquired nervously.

"Uh, yeah, so did I!" Prue declared. "Okay, I need to breath," she mumbled to herself, while closing her eyes and bringing her hands up to rub against her temples. Was that a migraine she suddenly felt coming on?

Billie had overheard the response and interpreted it her own way.

Billie closed her eyes, starting to feel humiliation pine its way into her being. Was that rejection? Or genuine shock registered on her new mother's face? "Okay," she mimicked, "And I need to go now before I die of total embarrassment." She started to walk away, shaking her head.

"No, Billie, wait," Prue interjected. "Please, don't be embarrassed," she replied, shaking her own head while trying to grasp the revelation.

Billie stopped, turned around, and stood completely still while watching her mother with a solemn expression.

"I just," Prue stumbled looking for the right words. "I just really don't know how to react and, that's all, and ... okay, now I'm rambling like an idiot," she mumbled to herself as she closed her eyes and briefly brought her hand up against her forehead. She proceeded to take a deep breath and then recollected her thoughts.

Billie thought about the possible consequences that could now be born out of the truth being revealed. Where were they suppose to go from here? Would she gain a mother or lose one for the second time this year? Did Prue even want to be her mother? Did she even want another mother? All these questions soared through her head at full-speed. After all, unlike Molly, Billie realized she wasn't some little kid anymore. She was practically grown. What would that mean in terms of a relationship? Would they be like friends?

"Listen, there's no need to explain," Billie threw out. "I get it, you need time. I certainly do." Her emotions contined to rise to the surface and she thought she could control what she wanted to feel in this situation but she was quickly discovering that wasn't the case.

"Billie?" Prue stepped forward attempting to explain her position further; however, Billie backed away from her.

"Look, I'm not some little kid, okay?" Billie raised her tone of voice, becoming defensive. "I wasn't expecting some fairytale reunion where we rode off into the sunset together like one, big, happy family. I get that's not how it really works. Besides, my _real _parents are the ones that cared enough to love and raise me, but being that they're not here anymore, that really sucks," she vented.

Prue felt at a loss for words.

"Billie, listen, I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sure that your parents were good people and," Prue began.

"And what would you know about my parents?" Billie interjected angrily. "They were killed by demons. Thanks to some stupid magical destiny I have because of you," she accused before choking on the words. Billie instantly regretted them when she witnessed Prue's reaction.

Prue flinched against Billie's last remark. Her intentions were not to reject Billie but she had no idea how she was suppose to react to this news. It was plainly obvious that the girl resented the idea of anyone trying to take the place of her parents. Which wasn't what she intended to do anyway. So, instead, she just continued to watch the young woman, who claimed to be her daughter, listening to the words leaving her mouth.

"Look, the truth is I never thought that being a witch was going to cost me so much," she continued. "First, demons take my sister away, then, they kill my parents and on top of that, I was stupid enough to believe my sister could still be alive to begin with. Not to mention, I almost got Piper killed, Phoebe killed, Paige killed and all for what?" came her rhetorical question. "Because of some stupid magical destiny and magical powers that demons want to steal for themselves? And the truth is I'd give it all up in a heartbeat if it would get me my mom, dad, and sister back."

Billie wiped against her eyes to prevent the onslaught of tears that was threatening to spill down her face.

Prue tried to listen with an empathetic ear. But, at the same time, another wave of guilt surged through her. Billie's last words had hit a cord deep inside of her. It was obvious to Prue that Billie was venting and needed somewhere to channel her anger. However, the sad truth was that her magical life seemed to be the root cause for alot of people's pain and suffering. Andy's, Molly's, her sisters and now Billie's? She tried hard to push those thoughts to the side.

"Billie? I'm really sorry all that happened to you."

"Well I don't need you to feel sorry for me," Billie spat back.

"Okay Billie, look, I'm really trying here," Prue raised her voice, feeling frustration take over. "So can you please cut me a a little slack here?" The growing need to defend herself against more allegations that brought up repressed feelings of regret came over her.

"The demons didn't cut my sister or my parents any slack. But then again, maybe they wouldn't have had to if I had never been given to them in the first place?" argued Billie, feeling completely emotional over the situation.

"I get that you're upset with me. I do, but what do you honestly expect from me?" Prue demanded to know amongst the emotional onslaught. "An explanation for why I did what I did that long ago? I wish I was in a position to give you what you want to hear but I just can't because I don't remember it," she defended strongly.

"Interesting," Billie shot back again. "Did you remember to tell my father the truth before you went off and forgot that I even existed? But then again, I guess it didn't matter anyway, right? Because he ended up paying the price too. He was killed right here in this house by demons. Just like my mom, dad, and Christy were. "

That accusation stung but Prue knew, without a doubt, there was an element of truth to it because she thought back to her dreams. Although, she didn't remember most of the details, she recovered pieces of lost memory that involved both her and Andy. A memory that involved break-ups, a secret, and finally his death. A death she blamed herself for because if he hadn't been in her life, he wouldn't have had to die. So, then, Billie was the secret? As unbelievable as it seemed, that appeared to be the case.

Billie knew that she had crossed a line when the words left her mouth. "Sorry," she apologized. "I probably shouldn't have said it like that. I'm sure you tried to save him."

"Billie, look," Prue tried once again to diffuse the tension. "There's alot that needs to be worked through and it's not going to happen right away. But I really think we should leave it there for now because we both need some time and some space. But when I say that I'm sorry about your parents, I really do mean it. And for what it's worth, none of it sounds like your fault," Prue tried to emphasize.

Everyone had been trying to reassure Billie of that for so long but that's not how she really felt. It was never how she felt and now she wanted to lash out so someone else could take the blame too. And Prue seemed like the perfect place to start. So, why all of a sudden did Prue's words make it feel like she was abandoning her? Billie proceeded to fold her arms across the front of her chest, standing in a defensive posture.

"Billie?" Prue pushed, carefully observing her reaction. She could tell she was fighting hard not to break down in front of her.

Billie turned around, keeping her arms crossed. The emotion had built up and it needed release. She brought one hand up to wipe at her cheeks but she didn't speak another word. And despite all the emotions that were running high between them, one thing remained very clear to Prue. The poor girl had obviously been through alot and she needed someone to listen and not judge her. Something, she herself, could relate to.

"I'm really sorry about everything," Prue tried to supply one last time. It seemed so repetitive and simplified, but sorry was all there really was to offer at this point. "And if you need to cry, then just cry," she advised as gently as she could.

Billie did break down. As the tears cascaded freely down both cheeks, her vision became blurred. Hesitantly, she turned back around to face Prue and then she reached out to try and offer comfort, not sure whether or not it would be accepted or rejected. At first, it felt completely awkward to do it. But Billie eventually came forward and accepted the embrace while she sobbed.

**ooooo **

Leo and Coop found themselves thrown from the portal and into a dark void. After their bodies made impact against the solid surface with a loud thud resounding around them, both men instantly lifted themselves up. Coop brought his hand up to rub the back of his head, where it had impacted the floor, while Leo began brushing down his clothes.

"You were saying?" mocked Coop.

"Where the hell are we?" Leo inquired as he began pacing around. He looked around but his surroundings appeared to give way to nothing but miles of empty, dark space. "I don't see any council," he observed.

"Well, that would be because we weren't invited to it," interjected Coop. "Which means we don't even belong here. So, we need to go. Now," he concluded with clear-cut determination.

"No, there's got to be a way to summon them," Leo mumbled, more to himself rather than Coop. A serious expression was featured on his face as he continued to pace and survey the area. "Or at least a way for them to know we're here," he surmised.

"Yeah, that's even if we're in the right place?" argued Coop. "I told you, it's easy to get lost in the _Mystic Realm _if you don't know what you're doing. Now, try to refresh my memory again? Why exactly did you feel it was necessary to find the _Afterlife Council_?"

Leo stopped pacing and stared at Coop for a few moments before answering his question. Then, he sighed. "Because the Elders broke the rules. They gave Andy his mortal life back and then snatched it away so they could cover up their own mess," he replied defensively. "Andy should be allowed to keep his life and the _Afterlife Council _has the authority to give it back. They monitor the placement of souls throughout the realms," he concluded.

"What mess?" Coop questioned, wanting to know the details.

"The one where they messed with the grand-design and faked Prue's death in order to prevent the _Ultimate Power _from ever existing," explained Leo. "It's the sisters. They're that power. And the Elders gave Prue a new life to keep them apart and that new life included Andy's resurrection."

"Wait, the Elders were responsible for Prue?" Coop asked disbelievingly.

"Yes. Well, technically, Gideon and a few other senior Elders. Gideon's gone now but some of the others are still carrying around his god-complex," he spat with distaste, thinking back to Wyatt.

"Phoebe didn't tell me all of that," Coop replied. Suddenly, the wheels in Coop's brain began spinning as he weaved an idea together. "So, then, Andy was Prue's husband?" he inquired.

"Uh, yeah. Why?" Leo confirmed, wondering where Coop was going with it.

"Well," Coop paused. "There might be an argument you can make on his behalf _because_ they were married," he began to explain. "It's a slim shot but it might work. See, as a Cupid, I work in accordance with this universal rule of law that applies throughout the entire immortal realm. And that is, we're not allowed to interfere with the mortal binding of marriage," Coop continued. "Marriage is honored as a sacred union and mortals are the only ones who possess the free-will to tamper with it, whether it be right or wrong to do so."

"Wait, but you're a Cupid," Leo questioned, furrowing his brows, feeling somewhat confused. "Cupids unite mortals all the time. Isn't that interfering?" he asked.

"No, technically, we inspire love between them," Coop corrected. "The rest is up to them because they have free-will. Besides, we're only responsible for the inspiration before a marriage binding occurs. We're not allowed to interfere after a marital union is put into place. Not without express permission from the mortals themselves. Anything that happens after a marriage is due to the choices the mortals, themselves, choose to make," he concluded.

"Okay, I think I get it," replied Leo. "So, where are you going with this?" he pressed further.

"Well, the Elders are immortal. So, they're bound by that rule. Try arguing that they tampered with the sacred marriage right between mortals. Whether or not Andy's resurrection was ever approved by the _Council_, still doesn't change the fact that he was a mortal during the time period when he married Prue," Coop clarified. "I mean, unless you have reason to believe that they were never married?" he pressed.

Leo appeared to be considering the argument that Coop had just provided for him. That argument could actually work. But Leo still wanted to make sure the Elders were held accountable for everything they had done. These individuals were suppose to help protect and represent the greater good; yet, they messed with the sisters lives and the grand-design.

"No, it's not that," he stated simply.

Coop considered where he thought Leo's mind was most likely going.

"Look, Leo? It's obvious you want the Elders to go down for what they did to Prue and whatever else they may have done but you might have to make a choice here. If the main objective is to get Andy back, you may have to let the rest go for now," he advised. "Just go for the technicality and leave the other details out of it."

Leo sighed and began pacing again.

"Yeah, but, there's still the chance it won't work. I mean, what if the _Council _acknowledges what the Elders did was wrong but because they took corrective measures, there isn't a problem. They did reunite Prue with her sisters and Andy's back in the immortal realm where he was suppose to be all along," he reasoned. "So I might as well just lay it all out there and see what happens."

"Hey, man, do what you think is best," Coop gave in with a shrug of his shoulders. "I was just tying to offer a suggestion."

"I know. And I do appreciate the insight," Leo offered.

Suddenly, both men were startled by a loud, booming voice that echoed throughout the vast space. They looked to each other and then scanned everywhere around them only to see no one there.

"WHO DARES TO ENTER THIS REALM?" the voice challenged.

**ooooo**

"Paige?" Dimitri called out, as all three sisters headed for the staircase leading to the first floor in the manor.

Piper and Phoebe continued their descent down the stairs but Paige stopped after hearing her name called out. However, she felt uncomfortable being in the Elder's presence after everything that had transpired with the Elders during the past few days. But, to be courteous, she stopped to hear him out. After all, he did save her sister's life.

"Yeah, what can I help you with?" she immediately inquired, cutting to the chase.

"Well, it's nothing serious but," he stammered before deciding on how he'd deliver the news. "I just wanted to reassure you that there wasn't anything wrong with your ability to heal your sister. Uh, it wasn't really my place to say anything upstairs but the problem was that the poison wasn't just affecting Prue," he began to explain.

"What do you mean?" questioned Paige, clearly confused by the admission.

"Well, I don't know whether or not your sister is aware yet but the poison was affecting the baby too," he finally admitted.

"The baby?" Paige announced in shock. "Prue's pregnant?"

"Well, the baby was absorbing most of your energy. And that's why it wasn't taking effect on Prue. The baby would heal but because the poison kept flowing through Prue's blood, it was, repeatedly, reintroduced to the baby," he explained. "You needed more energy to be able to heal both of them at the same time."

Paige closed her eyes and breathed out a deep sigh. "Well, that's some unexpected news," she remarked. "But thank you for coming when you did," she offered with a sincere nod of her head.

"No problem," Dimitri replied with a smile. "And if there's anything you ever need, please don't hesitate to ask. I happen to respect Leo very much and that extends to his family as well."

"Well, thank you. We'll definitely take that into consideration," Paige accepted.

Paige watched as the young Elder orbed away, back to the Magic School. The first step was to find Piper and Phoebe to share the news. Besides, now that she knew Prue was alright she wanted to check up on Piper and her baby news.

_Wow, that's two baby showers we need to plan for now. Maybe I should ask Mr. Brennan about a raise_?

That was her final thought on the matter as she resumed her walk downstairs.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Okay, finally found the time to wrap up this chapter. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next chapter out to you sooner. Anyway, I hope you liked it and stay tuned for more. **:o) **


	20. Sentimental Values

**:o) **Thanks for the reviews **1treehillcharmed **and I really do appreciate them.

And, now, the story continues ...

* * *

**Chapter 19: Sentimental Values**

Coop and Leo both whipped their heads back and forth and all around them, in search of the loud, booming voice that had penetrated the air, putting an abrupt end to their discussion. However, as their eyes scanned the dark and empty space spreading for miles around them, nobody could be seen nor heard.

"Hello?" Leo bravely called back out. "Who's there?" He looked to Coop, who only shrugged back in his direction. A few moments passed but there was still no response to his inquiry, so Leo pressed on again. "We're looking for the Afterlife Council," he announced. "My name is Leo and this is," but he was cut off.

"Yes, we know who you are," the booming voice responded back. "The question is why are you here?"

Leo was about respond back; however, Coop cut in instead.

"We stand before you and beseech the Council to take corrective action against a grievance from the mortal realm," he announced. "An immortal violation of Universal Law 1177 has been committed. Universal Law states that immortals are prohibited to interfere with a mortal binding of marriage and any violators are to take appropriate corrective action in respect to the aggrieved parties."

Leo just stood and watched in amazement as Coop delivered his formal, epigrammatic dialogue.

"No! That is not what we meant!" the impatient voice interrupted again. "We know why you want to be here," the voice clarified. "But why are you here? As in how did you get here? We have not summoned you to stand before this council. Therefore, you must leave. Now."

"Well, if you know why we want to be here, then why don't you fix the problem!" Leo demanded just as loud. At the same time, he anxiously took steps forward as Coop reached out, trying to restrain him. But that didn't deter Leo. He was very quickly becoming agitated with the lack of progression in this meeting. "What use is the greater good if 'good' doesn't even have to follow it's own rules?" he argued.

"Enough!" the voice demanded. "This matter is not on the agenda. It will not be heard any further!"

"Wait!" a second voice penetrated throughout the open space. "Due to the seriousness behind these allegations, we will make an exception just this once. Which Elders to you wish to name as the offending parties?"

This voice was also loud; however, more importantly it provided Leo with the opening he needed to make his argument. He spoke in a calmer but serious fashion.

"Gideon's gone," Leo answered. "But the rest who are following in his footsteps still lead the Elder Council! They should be made to step down," he demanded.

"We will decide the fate of those who dwell amongst the immortal realm," the first voice shouted back. "Not you!"

Both Coop and Leo could distinguish that the tone in this voice was clearly perturbed by their presence and was making damn sure they remained absolutely reminded of the fact that they were here uninvited.

"You wish to take corrective measures against an Elder who no longer exists?" the second voice asked incredulously. "Isn't it true that corrective actions have been made by the remaining Elders you wish to be held accountable?" it asked.

Leo shook his head because that was exactly the counter-argument he had been hoping to avoid. Coop, picking up on this, looked at Leo and then quickly readdressed the Afterlife Council.

"Respectfully, I beg to differ with the Council's conclusion," Coop interjected. "If I may?" he quickly added, seeking permission to be heard before them.

"Continue," the second voice commanded.

Coop looked to Leo and sighed before continuing. "While it may appear before this Council that corrective measures have been taken, they in fact have not. The soul of," Coop looked to Leo for help on the name.

"Andrew Trudeau," Leo announced.

"The soul of Andrew Trudeau was reintroduced back into the mortal realm under the binding of a marriage. Now, while it is not a traditional form of reincarnation, it is in fact a form of it. He was allowed to re-enter the mortal realm which makes him bound back to his former mortal conditions," Coop argued. "Immortals are not allowed to take away mortal life with the exception of the Angel of Death. And then, only when a person's rightful time comes and he is beckoned to by the grand design. Whether permission was ever granted or not, Andrew retained the right to maintain his new mortal life and destiny until his new natural time. And the marriage binding solidifies all of it. The Elders intervened and wrongly reclaimed him. The only corrective measure would be to reinstate Andrew's mortal life," he concluded.

Coop and Leo both remained completely still, anticipation coursing throughout their entire bodies, as a period of silence ensued.

"We will take some time to consider the argument," declared the second voice. "Please await our decision," was the final directive issued to both men as they stood waiting.

**ooooo**

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige all sat huddled around the kitchen table.

There wasn't much conversation to be had as each sister was lost within her own thoughts. Piper was desperately searching for an answer to explain how Prue became infected by a darklighter's poisoned arrow while Phoebe's thoughts drifted back to Billie and Prue. Paige, on the other-hand, still contemplated whether or not it was really her place to even break the news about Prue and the baby. Did Prue even know?

Phoebe fiddled with her cup of coffee before finally breaking the silence.

"So," she began. "How do you think it's going up there?" she inquired, seeking the opinion of her sisters. She brought the cup up to her mouth to take a sip.

"I really have no idea," Piper honestly replied, taking in a deep breath. "But I'll tell you what I am concerned about. This new development regarding witches and a darklighter's poisoned arrows," she declared, shaking her head in deep thought. "Prue shouldn't have had a reaction like that. Something's wrong," she concluded firmly.

"Do you think it has anything to do with the Triad?" Phoebe proposed.

"Maybe," Piper answered. "We can't rule anything out at this point. I mean, we already know they're coming after us again. It's just a matter of when so we really need to start working with Prue. Not to mention, we still don't even know who the last Triad member is."

Paige decided to speak up and offer her thoughts on the subject.

"Yeah, but how is a darklighter exhibiting powers he shouldn't even have? And I'm almost positive this has to be the same darklighter that JD ran into trouble with. But the weird thing is that neither Billie nor JD have been able to identify what type of darklighter he is."

"Well, maybe he stole some powers from another witch?" Phoebe suggested. "Prue, Piper, and I ran into a warlock that could do it," she finished. "Unfortunately, it did cost someone else her life though," she reflected last minute, as she and Piper thought back to the whitelighter the three of them had butted heads with.

Natalie.

"No, I don't think this has to do with witches," Paige announced with a shake of her head. "This particular darklighter is targeting whitelighters. Besides, even if the powers were stolen, who ever heard of a good witch with the power to fake the cries of help coming from innocents? I doubt he would have stolen that from a witch. That's a technique being used to lure someone in," she concluded.

"Wait a minute. What do you mean faking cries for help?" Phoebe asked seeking clarification. "Do you know something we don't?" she asked in all seriousness.

Paige heaved a sigh.

"Yeah, I do, actually. But I wasn't keeping it from you on purpose. Everything with Prue happened but before that I was trying to find an answer to it," she explained while both sisters listened intently. "This morning I received a call for help from another young whitelighter and that's the first time I encountered the darklighter. He must have followed me back here," she shared with some guilt between her words. "The other whitelighter told me that this particular darklighter has been using fake cries coming from innocents to lure whitelighters to isolated spots in order to kill them. Some of them have already been lost."

"What?" replied Phoebe in surprise.

Piper thought about Paige's admission. "Okay. Well, if that's true, I'm even more confused now than I was before. Why did the darklighter aim for Prue instead of you?" she asked. "You're the whitelighter in the family."

"Yeah, I mean if his objective is to target whitelighters, it makes no sense to go for the witch?" Phoebe agreed.

Paige shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "I don't know. Because we're the Charmed Ones, because we're this new Ultimate Power thingy, your guess is as good as mine," she replied. "Though, I do have an idea. It's a long-shot but still worth a shot. I'm going to try Sam and see if he has any more information as to what's been going on."

Phoebe smirked and squinted her eyes at her baby sister as a playful gesture. "You mean your father? I thought you got past calling him Sam and moved on to Dad?" she teased lightly. "Do I sense lingering issues?"

Paige squinted her eyes in return. "Yeah, well dear ole' dad," she emphasized on purpose, "is the only other avenue I can come up with right now. He is a whitelighter so this does effect him too," she offered. "Unless, the two of you have any better ideas?" she threw out at them.

"No, really, I don't," Piper was quick to respond. She got up from her chair and brought her empty coffee-cup to the sink. "But go for it. The more we can find out ahead of time, the better prepared we'll be," she surmised. Then, she walked over to the counter-top grabbing for her purse and keys. "Right now, I need to go pick up the kids," she announced. "So, keep an an eye on things," she suggested, while using her finger to point up towards the ceiling. It was a clear indicator to both Phoebe and Paige to watch for Prue and Billie.

As Piper retreated from the kitchen, Paige remembered the one thing she meant to ask her from the beginning. But they had gotten distracted by more pressing issues. "Oh, Piper!" she exclaimed. "How did the visit with the doctor go?" she shouted out.

"It went," came Piper's response, lingering through the air.

The front door to the manor was heard closing.

**ooooo**

"Nice," Leo mumbled to Coop after the Council had retreated to deliberate the issues presented before them. His eyes still darted around the voluminous space, looking for any visible signs of someone that could lay claim to the voices being heard all around them. "Didn't know you had that in you," he added.

"Yeah, I was a lawyer before I was a Cupid," Coop gritted his teeth together, trying to remain cautious in the event that the Council could still hear them.

Leo sent a questioning look back in his direction and was about to ask him how that was possible until Coop interjected first. "How ... " Leo began.

"In the mortal realm," Coop added on to his explanation, after taking notice of the bewildered stare. He quickly anticipated the question about to be thrown at him next. "Look, it's how I knew about the Afterlife Council," he finally confessed. "Upon my mortal death, my soul was presented before them. I was given the choice of serving within the immortal realm indefinitely or I could await another incarnation within the mortal realm as a whole new person. I chose immortality. They appointed me as a Cupid," he finished explaining.

Leo listened to the admission. "Wow, I never would have thought," and he let his voice trail off.

"That I was a mortal once?" Coop finished for him. "Yeah, I was," he concluded matter-of-factly. "It's not something I go around admitting to, though," he confessed further. There was a small hint of sadness visible within his eyes as he appeared to be reflecting on his mortal past.

"Why?" Leo asked, not understanding the desire to remain secretive about it. After all, he had been a mortal once too and openly admitted to it without shame after the sisters found out about his whitelighter origins. "You mean, Phoebe doesn't even know?" he questioned.

"No, she doesn't. And I would very much appreciate it if it would stay that way, please?" Coop strongly affirmed. "My past is exactly where I want it to stay," he expressed. "In the past. There's no need to be dredging up things that have already happened or things that can't be changed." As Coop grew silent, it was made clear to Leo that it was his final word on the matter.

Leo instantly drew the conclusion that there was more to Coop's story. If Coop's defensive stance and clear-cut objections didn't give it away, then his body language most certainly had. The look on his face alone, spoke volumes. However, despite his curiosity, Leo made the decision not to pry for the time being. After all, they were here to help Andy and at the very least, he owed Coop for his part in helping with it. He would respect his wishes.

"We have reached a decision!" the loud booming voice returned, as it grabbed the attention of both Leo and Coop for the second time.

"And?" came the very anxious inquiry of Leo, as he awaited the answer that could either solve a problem or just create more.

**ooooo **

Phoebe gently knocked against the bedroom door that she, herself, used to occupy.

Things had definitely remained unusually quiet during the time they had left Prue and Billie in the attic to play catch up on the past. However, they hadn't heard anything out of either one of them since that time so Phoebe decided to check it out and make sure everything was alright. After all, she was the only person left in the manor to do it. Coop and Leo still hadn't returned, Piper was still gone, and Paige went off in search of her father. Her first stop had been to Prue's old room but nobody had been in there.

"Billie? Prue?" she prodded gently. "Are either of you in there? It's Phoebe," she announced. "I just want to make sure everything's okay?"

"It's open," a voice answered back. The voice definitely sounded like Billie's.

Phoebe proceeded to open the door and made her way inside the room. She caught sight of Billie sitting on the bed, a clutter of clothing, and some other personal items, sprawled out all over in front of her. There were a few brown boxes placed on the floor next to the bed. When Billie finally looked up, she offered Phoebe a weak smile.

"Hey," Billie muttered, folding some clothes and then placing them inside the box on the floor.

"Sweetie, what are you doing?" Phoebe asked with concern, while using one hand to push some stuff aside in order to make room to sit on the bed. "It didn't go that bad, did it?"

Billie stopped folding, contemplating her answer carefully. "No, not bad," she remarked, while she resumed folding. "Just awkward. It's going to take some time, that's all," she settled on, not making any eye contact with Phoebe.

"So then help me out here. You think that running away is going to make things less awkward in time?" Phoebe gave the gentle dig at the same time she surveyed the area and quickly concluded that Billie was planning to leave. "Because, honey, that's not the answer believe me," she stressed.

Billie released a frustrated sigh. "No, Phoebe, I'm not running away. I'm just leaving for awhile so _everybody_ has some breathing room, okay? Myself included," she added with slight agitation. "Besides, she and Molly are both here now, so the extra space is needed anyway," she tried rationalizing.

Only Phoebe wasn't buying it. "Oh, I see. So, Prue's just a _she?_" Phoebe gently chided, a small hint of amusement hidden inside her words. "She doesn't even earn the use of her first name with you?"

"Well, it definitely won't be _Mom _anytime soon," she mumbled under her breath but Phoebe heard it regardless. She reached out and patted her hand against Billie's leg.

"Billie, look. I'm just here to listen. Not to judge," she offered in all seriousness.

Billie stared at her for a few moments before responding.

"The truth is that I'm just really confused right now. I don't know what I want out of it and I don't really know what to expect. All these emotions just came rushing to the surface out of nowhere and I'm trying to figure out how to deal, that's all," she answered, shrugging her shoulders and then looking away again.

"Okay," Phoebe provided her with more room to continue.

Billie's eyes scanned the bed until landing on the single framed photograph taken of her and Christy when they were only five and seven years of age. Just before Christy had been taken away from her forever. She picked it up, running her fingers across the face of her lost sister.

_I'm so sorry for what happened to you_. _Mom and Dad never should have lost you just because of me. Please forgive me?_

"Phoebe? Do you think ..." but Billie didn't complete her thought.

"What?" Phoebe tried to push.

"Nothing, never mind," Billie declared with a firm shake of her head. "It was stupid anyway," she remarked, immediately giving up on what she wanted to ask about. She placed the photograph back on the bed while Phoebe glanced back down at it.

Phoebe decided not to push the issue anymore. "Billie, listen, if you need time and space, there's the extra room at my place," Phoebe offered sincerely. "Molly will be with Prue now, so that makes the room available if you need it."

Billie gave a small smile. "Phoebe, thanks, I appreciate it. But no thanks," she declined. "I just really need some more time to be alone," she explained solemnly, looking away. Phoebe sighed as Billie got off the bed. "Besides," she added. "You're making a bigger deal out of it then it really is. I'm just moving back to my dorm room. I won't be that far away," she reasoned.

"Alright," Phoebe sighed. "If this is what you want," she finally relented, knowing full well she couldn't make Billie stay at the manor or her place if she didn't want to stay. "Just please be careful," she stressed with alot of emphasis.

"No, it's what I need," Billie corrected her, while looking her straight in the face. "But I definitely promise to be careful," she agreed in a much softer tone of voice. Then she reached out to hug Phoebe. "Thanks for everything, though," Billie added as they hugged. "You've always been there for me when I needed you."

"It's not going to be a permanent arrangement over there so don't get too used to it," Phoebe half-joked. "We count on having you around, you know?" Then she pulled out of the embrace. "So work those issues out in your head and get your butt back here, missy," she tried teasing. "Need some help getting this stuff over there?"

"Yeah, thanks. And I'm trying. I swear," Billie laughed lightly. "But no worries because I have JD around for support," she volunteered readily. She lifted up the two boxes from the floor placing them on top of the bed.

Phoebe did have a unique way of turning the mood around and making her feel better even in the midst of a crisis. Briefly, she imagined what it would be like for her and Prue do have a relationship one day that was just as easygoing. Time would tell, she settled on.

"Hm, uh-huh," Phoebe smirked, shaking her head and giving her a knowing look, as the two of them proceeded to finish packing the remaining items on the bed into the boxes sitting there. "JD, huh? You two seem to be getting pretty chummy if I do say so myself," she teased with ease.

Billie blushed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! It's not even like that," she denied. "We're just friends."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Phoebe continued on in a joking manner, nodding her head. "I know that line. That's right, I used that line. We've all used that line," she needled playfully, releasing a laugh.

"It's not like that," Billie insisted, feigning annoyance as she and Phoebe each picked up a box they had finished packing.

Phoebe headed for the door first. "Yup, okay, whatever you say," she laughed again.

"It's NOT!" Billie shrieked in response, as she followed Phoebe out the door, holding on tightly to one of the boxes making the transition to campus.

The door clicked shut behind them.

**ooooo**

Prue stood underneath the warm sun while catching the cool breeze.

It was the same breeze that continuously shuffled strands of her long raven hair across the front of her face. She used one hand to push it back but the action would just repeat itself. While taking in the view of the tall trees, their arms rocking back and forth as if fighting back against the breeze, she suddenly was having second thoughts about what she was even doing here. It was pointless - it's not like it would change anything.

Prue knew she needed some time to be alone, if only to process alot; however, more and more memories were beginning to fit into place which was leaving no room for excuses or the option to play ignorant anymore. Sooner or later, she would have to face the life she had left behind in exchange for the new one she had chosen to live. After the awkward confrontation with Billie, she had found herself leaving the manor for a brisk walk that eventually led her to the gates of the 'Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cemetery.'

Slowly, she walked over the plush grass that crunched softly beneath her feet and she glanced briefly at each headstone she passed by along the way. There were a few other people scattered throughout the cemetery on this day, obviously paying their own tributes and respects to deceased loved ones. One elderly gentleman held a bouquet of roses in hand as he slowly bent down to place them in front of a marble headstone. His wife, perhaps, pondered Prue as she momentarily stopped to observe.

Prue had no idea how she remembered where to go but she did. She continued on her journey until it took her to a winding driveway that also lead out of the cemetary. Prue suddenly stopped for a moment and swallowed nervously as she took in the sight of the small enclosure across the way. The enclosure held a white marble headstone that captivated her. Finally finding the courage to move again, she crossed and came to stand in front of the marble structure that held one important name.

His name.

Andrew Christopher Trudeau: 1970 - 1999. An Honorable Son, Police Inspector, and Friend. Died While Serving in the Line of Duty.

Upon viewing the inscription carved on the stone, a memory immediately flashed through her mind:

**(****Memory)**

_She remembered the dark casket that sat just above the ground as she placed that one, single rose with its bright red petals atop the rectangular structure. It was her final good-bye to the one man who had died to keep her secret. A man who had given up his life to keep she and her sisters alive. _

_He was also the same man she had grown up with, shared her first kiss with, and later that first intimate moment too. The man who had broken her heart but the same man she had kept her own secrets from. She had broken his heart as well because she knew he had done everything in his power to try and gain her full and complete trust but she just couldn't bring herself to let him in completely. _

_He had been her best friend, her lover, her confidante - all rolled up into one. The bond between them had run pretty deep but even that hadn't been enough to keep them together. It hadn't been enough to keep him alive. Because in the end, he had discovered the truth anyway, but had still rejected her life, her destiny. And it was this knowledge that left her feeling sad and confused standing here on this day of all days because although he had made a conscious choice not to pursue any kind of future life with her, he had loved her enough to die for her. _

_Why? _

_These thoughts raced through her mind and the tears suddenly resurfaced, flowing down her cheeks freely. She brought her gloved hand up to wipe them from her face. _

**(Memory Ends)**

Prue's eyes watered with the memory. She could feel and remember that particular past event as clear as day. She remembered the demon named Rodriguez. She even remembered waking to find Andy lying dead on the floor inside of the Manor. These feelings felt fresh, like it all had just happened yesterday, or maybe they were new feelings that had sprung to life recently when Andy had been taken away from her again?

"Andy?" she found the courage to speak out. "I think I feel lost. No, I am lost," she confessed. "I know that I am. And I don't think I can do this alone!" She brought her hands up to her face to wipe away the stray tears. All the pain, reservations, and fear of the unknown was being unleashed with them.

She lifted her head up towards the sky.

"My life got you killed," she began to vent. "And I abandoned my sisters," she confessed. "What kind of a person does that really make me? They say I was like this super-witch that could do anything before I almost went and got myself killed. But I only feel like a coward."

She took a few moments to collect her thoughts. Prue shuffled her feet against the ground and shoved some of her hair behind her ears as she figeted. This was unfamiliar territory for her.

"You were right about me, about my life. My life has been nothing but secrets," she sighed before continuing on. "I met this girl named Billie. She's been living at the manor with Piper and her family. You haven't met her but," she paused, "uh, I think she's our daughter."

She paused to take some deep breaths of fresh air.

"I'm trying to deal with it on my own. But I really wish you were here to help because you would probably know the right thing to say," she voiced her opinion to him. "She told me that I just gave her away but I don't remember. I don't remember because I'm a failure," her voice sounded angry but angry with herself. "As a sister, as a wife, as a witch and now even as a mother."

Prue closed her eyes and felt a gentle breeze pass through her. It brought her a sense of comfort and for a moment she contemplated the notion that it could be Andy offering her some type of reassurance from the afterlife; however, she was pulled out of reflection by the feel of a hand grabbing at her shoulder.

"Prue?" the voice rang out.

Suddenly startled, Prue spun around only to come face to face with the person who matched the voice. She had been so enraptured in the moment that she hadn't even heard anyone approach from behind.

**ooooo **

Paige anxiously paced the length of the abandoned structure, awaiting the arrival of her father.

They hadn't really spoken to each other that much since that last time, the time they had encountered trouble with a demonic photographer who captured the essences of his victims through his work. He had almost succeeded in capturing her father's essence but Paige had confronted some of her issues about Sam. It had saved his life. Unfortunately, in the process, JD had been the one to lose his life in his attempts to help keep them safe.

Suddenly, blue and white orbs appeared from behind as Paige's back was turned. She wasn't alerted to her father's presence until she heard the sound of his voice.

"You know, we don't have to meet in a place like this," he announced. "I'd be more than willing to make a house call every now and then," he offered with a small smirk.

"Dad!" Paige exclaimed as she spun around bringing her hand to her chest. "You scared me."

"Wow. I've officially reached 'Dad' status?" he questioned her. "I'm humbly honored," he teased her.

Paige gave him a playful glare. "Sorry, Sam," she teased him back, "but I try to keep the Henry front as magic free as I can. And the manor is just not a good place right now," she explained. "Too much has gone down recently so this is the best that I can come up with."

"Why, what's going on at the manor?" Sam asked with evident concern.

"Alot, actually," Paige admitted. "For starters, we finally found out who the Ultimate Power really is," she remarked, with a dramatic nod of her head.

"Who?" Sam asked with a confused shake of his head.

"Us," came Paige's one-worded answer.

"Us?" Sam repeated. "You mean, as in you and your sisters?" he asked. He took a moment to think. "So what do Piper and Phoebe have to say? I mean, do you three think it's legitimate?" Sam crossed his arms over his chest awaiting the explanation behind his daughter's new-found revelation.

"No, no, no!" Paige closed her eyes and shook her head dramatically. "Not we _three_," she stressed. "We four. As in Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and me," came her announcement.

Sam quickly dropped his arms, bringing them back down to his sides. "What?" he exclaimed.

His reaction momentarily startled Paige. After all, what could he even know about the Ultimate Power?

"Um, yeah," Paige continued on while closely observing her father's reaction to the unfolding news. Something about the way he had initially reacted caught her off guard. "Prue never really died. She's been alive all this time. The Elders were behind it. They faked her death so the Ultimate Power wouldn't exist."

"Oh, my god, Patty," he mumbled while bringing his hand up over his mouth.

Sam thought about the secret they still shared but more importantly it made perfect sense on why she had been making it a point to avoid him in the afterlife. It was apparently obvious the distance she was keeping during the time after Prue's death; however, he knew Patty pretty well. Her avoidance of him had made him suspicious but he had respected her wishes for the most part and stayed away. But now? It appeared as if Prue was still alive and apparently, always had been. Did Patty really know about this all along? Why would she have kept it a secret?

"Dad?" Paige had called out in order to pull him out of his daze. She proceeded to wave her hand in front of his face. "What's the matter?" Yup, it's not just me, she concluded to herself. He was definitely reacting to this news in an odd way and she hadn't even gotten to the part she came there for.

Sam shook his head to break himself out of his stupor.

"I, uh ... nothing," he began stuttering and shaking his head at the same time until he grabbed his bearings. "I'm just a little surprised to hear that the Elders would stoop that far, that's all," he announced firmly, trying to cover up his momentary lapse. He hated lying to his daughter about what was really on his mind.

Paige furrowed her brows.

"Why would you be that surprised? Look at what you and mom had to go through when you had me? You practically threw me at the church door-step so they wouldn't find out about me. You had to suspect they were capable of something like this," she argued.

_Nice try, though, Dad._

Sam closed his eyes and sighed. "Paige," he groaned in response to the reference regarding her adoptive arrangement. "We've been through this, we didn't throw you on the doorstep, I thought we were past that," he pleaded in frustration before his daughter interrupted.

"Dad, give it a rest, will you?" Paige interjected with a playful roll of her eyes. "I'm not mad about that anymore, I was making a point," she stressed.

"Which is?" he challenged.

"What? My point?" she questioned, feeling somewhat confused by the turn of discussion. "That the Elders can be deceitful liars when they want to be. Which they proved when they took Prue. Actually it was that no good Gideon's bright idea but thank god he's out of the picture now and so help the others that ..."

"Paige?" her father interrupted her. He had his arms crossed again and a smile plastered on his face, somewhat amused by his daughter's ranting spree.

"What?" she declared.

"You're rambling? I get the picture," he stressed. "The Elders did something they shouldn't have. And I, of all people, should know better because of what happened with you," he summed up for her. "Just take a deep breath." He waved his hands around in the air as a demonstrative gesture. "Now," he continued, his voice turning serious once again. "Back to the important thing. Is Prue alright?" he asked.

Paige picked up again on that subtle display of being overly concerned. Then she decided that she was just reading into something that wasn't there. After all, why shouldn't he show alot of concern for Prue? He loved Patty - their mother, and Prue was Patty's daughter.

"Well, define alright?" Paige scoffed. "I mean physically, yeah, she's fine. But if you want to talk mentally or emotionally, probably not so good," she responded with a shake of her head. "But, backing up a bit, she had a problem in the physical department a few short hours ago and that's what I need to ask you about."

This information had immediately grabbed his attention. "Why, what do you mean?" he inquired in a serious tone.

Paige sighed. "A darklighter attacked at the manor earlier," she began to explain. "And I have it on pretty good authority that this darklighter is the same one tracking down whitelighters and killing them. What do you know about all this, if anything?" she asked, waiting for his reply.

"Uh, not very much," Sam answered. "Just that this particular darklighter has an unusual concentration of power he shouldn't have. And that it's most likely coming from the Underworld somewhere but we can't track it's source."

"So, then, he hasn't acquired these other powers from other witches then, huh?" she asked seeking confirmation.

"No, I'm afraid not," her father confirmed. "We would have been able to trace these powers back to the greater good collective if that were the case," he explained. "Whatever this power is, it doesn't originate from our side."

Great, the mystery deepens, she thought to herself.

"But what does all this have to do with Prue?" Sam inquired, bringing the topic of discussion back to the eldest Halliwell. "She wasn't hit by one of his arrows, was she?" his face a mask of concern.

"Yeah, actually, she was," Paige admitted with a sigh that followed. She noticed how her father visibly tensed after her admission. "And that's something else I wanted to run by you. We were thinking that with these new powers and all that the darklighter figured out some way to taint the arrows with poison that could kill witches and whitelighters? But ..." she let her sentence trail when her father closed his eyes, shaking his head vehemently.

"That's not it, Paige," he announced with firm determination in place.

"Well, it has to be something like that, Dad, because Prue had a reaction ..." Paige started to argue but her father cut her off again.

"The poison only has an effect on whitelighters, Paige," Sam persisted. "What happened?"

"Well, if you'd stop cutting me off I could finish telling you what happened!" she barked back at him, clearly feeling frustrated by the fact that the theory had been shot down before she even had the opportunity to finish explaining it.

"Sorry," he offered sincerely.

The problem was that he knew he was aware of something she wasn't.

"Thank you," Paige sighed before continuing on. "I couldn't heal her. That's what happened. But an Elder friend of Leo's did. So she's fine now but we're all concerned. For obvious reasons," she pointed out. "Prue had a reaction for a reason. If the poison doesn't work on witches than there has to be another explanation. Of course, this is after we eliminate Prue as a whitelighter ... unless, wait a minute," she declared out of the blue.

The wheels in Paige's head were spinning. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it until now. How could she not have pieced it together or questioned it sooner?

Molly.

The first time she had encountered the little girl at the children's center, Molly had used telekinetic-orbing to move a building block. That was a blended trait of a whitelighter-witch, a trait in which she, Wyatt, and Chris all possessed. Paige had only witnessed Molly do it once; however, it was also at a time when she didn't know that Molly was in fact Prue's daughter. She hadn't paid much more thought to it.

"Prue couldn't possibly have whitelighter in her?" Paige speculated out loud. She watched as a myriad of expressions crossed over his face. Why did he look like that? He looked - pained, or guilty, or something close to it. "Dad?" she pressed when she received no answer back from him.

But Paige countered against what she was thinking. Billie was Prue's daughter too; yet, she has never exhibited any whitelighter traits. Why? The unborn baby was effected by the poison too. Was it somehow connected to Andy and the fact that he had died already? That could offer up some possible and freaky explanation as to why Molly and the unborn baby carried potential whitelighter traits and vulnerabilities while Billie didn't. However, she shot that theory back down as soon as she remembered that Prue and the baby were both affected by the poison. It wasn't just the baby. It was the very reason she had trouble healing them at the same time. Back to square one.

"Dad? Answer the question," she pushed again.

Sam felt uncomfortable in the position he now found himself in. He didn't want to continue lying to his daughter but what choice did he have right now? This wasn't the time or place to get into the past. Instead, he chickened out, turned around, and prepared to orb back out.

"I have to go!" he declared.

Paige stepped forward to stop him. "Dad, wait," she replied urgently. "Why won't you answer my question? If you know something, you have to tell me. Please, Prue's life could depend on it in the future," she urged. "Is it possible?" she repeated. As crazy as it all sounded, all the evidence was pointing in that direction; however, she needed to hear it confirmed.

Sam slowly turned back around to face his daughter. Paige wore a mask of desperation but Sam's face held a very somber expression. They stood staring at each other for a moment until Sam finally caved in.

"You should know by now that anything's possible," he answered her. "Be careful!"

It was a vague response, not what she would have liked or preferred; however, Paige knew how to read between the lines and she picked up on the subtle admission right away. But it was also at that exact moment that it clicked into place for her how it was possible. Her eyes locked with her father's until he broke the staring contest. He looked down at the ground and disappeared into a flurry of blue and white orbs.

No. It couldn't be.

**ooooo**

Prue had jumped at the touch; however, after turning around she was met with a familiar face. Instantly, she relaxed, allowing her body the opportunity to calm the flow of adrenaline that had arisen out of fear. "Darryl?" she sighed with apparent relief, bringing her hand up to her chest. She closed her eyes. "You scared me."

"Sorry," he offered. "But, hey, at least you remember me. That's got to be a good sign," Darryl felt his own relief pass through him. "Thank god," he sighed.

"What do you mean?" she asked, not comprehending the meaning behind his words.

"What I mean is that over the course of the past few days history has literally rewritten itself," he announced. "Apparently, you never died and my wife Shelia believes I'm out here paying a visit to offer my condolences? Something about your husband dying in the line of duty and you moving back here with your daughter to be closer to your sisters. What the hell happened? I've spent the last few days caged up in some hotel room trying to figure out how I'm the only one that can remember ..." but Darryl's voice trailed off as he noticed the puffy redness in and around Prue's eyes.

"Have you been crying?" he suddenly inquired, bringing his hands to rest at his sides. He proceeded to look around as it dawned on him to ask the one question he meant to. "By the way, where's Andy?" Then his eyes darted to the tombstone still displaying his ex-partner's name.

Prue looked down. "Andy's gone," she answered. "For good this time."

"Gone?" Darryl questioned. "As in dead?" he asked for clarification.

"Yes, Darryl. As in he's never coming back! Now please, excuse me," the weariness and agitation in Prue's voice could be detected quite easily. She made her way to walk by him and stepped onto the pavement preparing for the long walk back home. Seriously? A conversation about Andy was the last thing she wanted to have with anybody right now.

Darryl turned around and jogged to catch up with her.

"Whoa, hold up a minute," he announced as he rushed up beside her. "Where did he go if he's not here anymore?" he interrogated, but he had a pretty good idea. "Are you telling me that they took him back and didn't even have the decency to make Andy the husband you lost very recently?"

"No, I guess not," Prue sighed, shoving her hands into her pockets without looking over at him. "But does it really matter? The point is that he's dead but I'm still here," she pushed some loose hair behind her ear.

"That's cold man, that's just cold," Darryl murmured and shook his head in apparent disgust.

There was a shared moment of silence.

"Hey," Darryl was the first one to break the silence. "I know you don't need me to tell you this but I am sorry," he offered sincerely. "I know this has got to be rough."

They stopped walking, Prue offering the faint hint of a smile as she and Darryl shared a quick hug.

"I'll be fine," she shared. "I really have no choice but to be."

They resumed walking at a slow pace.

"You're not walking home alone are you?" he asked out of genuine concern, while attempting to change the subject at the same time.

Prue shoved her hands back inside her pant pockets. "Yes, Darryl, I am," she smiled. "I thought I could use the walk to clear out my head. What were you doing here, anyway?" she asked.

"Well, I've been paying a visit here over the last couple days. Still trying to sort out everything that's happened with Andy, with you, with everything," he answered her. He paused. "But, hey, you shouldn't be walking alone. Do you know how far that is?" he remarked. "At least let me drop you back off, I have the rental parked outside." He sighed. "And look, hey, I am really sorry about Andy," he affirmed one last time. "I never understood the full story but I tried to make sure he was going to be okay. Not like the last time," he muttered under his breath.

Prue glanced at Darryl. His face was a mask of sorrow.

"You know, Darryl, I don't know if I ever expressed it before, but thank you for being there," she offered sincerely. "When Andy died. I don't think we could have gotten through it without you. My memories are a little scattered at the moment, but I'm piecing them back together as they come."

Darryl humbly accepted her gratitude. "Ah, Prue, there was never any need to thank me. I just did what I thought was the right thing at the time," he answered in response. "You know, after you ... left," he settled on, "I stayed pretty close by for awhile but your sisters and I eventually drifted apart. Things just started to get too complicated and my family really needed me first. But I do want you to know that if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Yeah. Thanks, Darryl," she graciously accepted his offer. "But all that I need right now is my head to hit a pillow somewhere. I feel like all of my energy has just been sucked out of me."

Darryl reached his arm out to pull her in close as they walked. It was a friendly gesture. "Yeah, well, I'm just glad that you're alright," he said to her. "Now, how about that ride?" he offered again and the two of them headed back in the direction of the car.

**ooooo**

Coop and Leo looked back to one another after the loud booming voice had returned.

"Our decision on this matter is to bring forth a hearing of indictment," the first voice announced boldly.

"A what?" Leo inquired with a shake of his head. Somehow he was getting the feeling that bringing Andy back home was not going to be that easy.

"A hearing of indictment," the second voice reaffirmed. "We will call forth the accused parties and listen to all evidence relating to the matter at hand. Then, we will issue an official ruling!"

"But," Leo began to argue.

"Do not attempt to argue with the Council's decision," the first voice came back. "You will be summoned when the time comes! Do not return until then!"

That was the final word on the matter. Both men were unable to argue any further because they felt themselves thrust out of the realm by a force so powerful. Their next conscious thought came after they dropped out of a portal hole and back into the Mystic Realm. Coop and Leo each got up off of the ground and watched as the portal leading to the Afterlife Council sealed itself off and then disappeared.

**ooooo **

As Prue opened the front door to the Manor and entered with Darryl following behind, she was greeted by Phoebe walking towards her and Molly running straight into her arms.

"Mommy!" she squealed as she ran to her. Prue picked her up as Phoebe approached her.

"Hey, baby," Prue sang back, as she planted a kiss on the top of her hand.

"Prue, where were you?" Phoebe sighed. "We were worried!" She took a quick glance over her shoulder towards the living room area. "Oh, Darryl," she noticed him for the first time. "Hey."

"Hey, Phoebe," Darryl replied.

"Phoebe, I appreciate the concern but I'm fine. I just needed the walk to try and sort things out," she explained. She said this while smiling at her daughter and engaging in some playful bantering. Molly giggled as Prue used one free hand to tickle her side. She laughed with her daughter and turned her attention back to Phoebe.

Phoebe still had a look of concern covering her face.

"Really. Don't worry," Prue insisted.

"Um, yeah, okay. Listen, uh, somebody here's to see you," Phoebe began cautiously.

The three of them made their way around the corner and into the living room. Prue stopped abruptly. There on the living room couch sat her sister Piper, her two boys splitting their attention between their mother and the man who sat beside her. Phoebe looked between her oldest sister, who stood next to her, and then back to the man. As the man's eyes locked with Prue's, he slowly arose from the couch. Piper took notice of Prue's return and just watched as the man slowly closed the distance between himself and Prue.

His eyes watered and he issued a tentative statement. "Hey," his voice cracked.

Then, he did something Prue wasn't anticipating. He reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace, Molly still wedged between them.

"Dad," came Prue's muttered reply.

* * *

**To Be Continued: **Sorry the updates are spread further but they might be that way until things settle down. Summer is ending and I have other obligations but I intend on finishing this story.

**Coming Up: **Paige unearths a shocking truth, a revelation starts to unfold that can cause a wedge between Phoebe/Coop. Also, Piper and Prue begin to come to terms with their relationship and other revelations while Billie tries to do the same.

**Stay tuned ... **


	21. Halliwell Family Secrets Pt 2

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the late update. I actually planned to have this chapter posted a couple days ago but on-top of everything else going on, I came down with bronchitis. So, being sick this week delayed finishing it. But I really hope you enjoy this next chapter so without further adieu: read on, **lol.**

**:o) **And of course, thanks again, to my faithful reviewers: **I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts,** **1treehillcharmed **and **Queen of Gabb 488**.

**I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts: **I'm happy you liked the Phoebe/Billie interaction. For some reason, I always thought they related to each other best on the show. So, I try to live up to that perception in my writing.

**1treehillcharmed: lol, **yeah, I was trying hard not to make the Prue/Sam connection too obvious. I thought that I might of given it away during the flashback where Patty dies. But I'm glad it came as a surprise for you.

**Queen of Gabb: lol, **wow. That bad? I think we'll dedicate this chapter to you then. **;o)**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Halliwell Family Secrets Pt. 2**

The awkward silence that permeated the atmosphere left everyone in the room feeling on edge. Everyone remained quiet and it appeared that each person was waiting for that one person brave enough to venture into uncharted territory.

Piper remained seated on the couch, Wyatt and Chris receiving her full attention. Phoebe walked back over and stood behind the couch after offering Darryl use of the lounge chair, which he accepted. And after Victor and Prue had broken out of the embrace, Prue had released an uneasy smile, placing Molly down on the floor. Molly took the opportunity to drag her mother by the hand to come and play with her. So Prue currently found herself residing on the floor with her daughter on her lap. She was giving her full attention to the board-game the kids had been playing just moments before she had entered the manor.

"So," Darryl was the first one to break the ice. He clapped his hands together and blew out a deep breath of air. "How's business been Victor?" he asked in an attempt to get a conversation going. The silence was too stifling even for him.

Victor and everyone else looked over in Darryl's direction.

"Slow," came Victor's one-worded response. He was sitting down next to Piper again, the same spot he had been before getting up to greet Prue. After he answered, everybody returned their attention back to what they had been doing previously.

"Okay," muttered Darryl. _Maybe I should high-tail it out of here before I suffocate?_

Phoebe, picking up on Darryl's failed attempt to lighten up the mood, sighed and briefly closed her eyes. Then, she decided to give it a try herself.

"Okay," she announced with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. She plastered a big, bright smile on her face in the process while placing her hands at her sides. "Anybody up for some tea or coffee?" she asked. She looked to each person waiting for someone to respond. Finally, someone did.

"Yeah, sure, I'll have some coffee," Prue spoke up. "Just make sure ..." she began. "It's leaded," both Prue and Phoebe ended Prue's sentence together.

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Phoebe finished with an amused grin. Even Piper couldn't help but to crack a smile of her own as Prue smiled back too. At least some things stayed the same.

Phoebe inhaled a breath. "Okay, anybody else? Dad? Darryl?" she asked, looking towards the other two men.

"Uh, yeah, sure honey," Victor finally responded. "A cup of coffee would be great," he smiled.

"None for me, Phoebe, thanks," Darryl's reply followed. "In fact, I really ought to be going," he said while standing up. "I have an early flight back tomorrow morning. I just came by to see how things were and to make sure Prue was alright. And you can imagine how odd it is remembering things the rest of the world seems to have forgotten," he added. "Now I have to go back home and play it off."

"Yeah, I know," offered Victor in an attempt to empathize with the other man's plight.

Victor was well aware of the effects and consequences the magical community could present before any mortals closely tied with it. After all, he had been married to a witch once and had endured his fair share of trials that had resulted from the union.

"Sorry, Darryl," Phoebe offered with as much sincerity that was possible. "We never meant to get you involved in any of this again," she offered.

"Phoebe, forget it," he replied. "I'm past all that now. I know what I know, what am I suppose to do? But I just hope everything works out here for you guys. I really do," he offered sincerely. Then, he turned his attention towards Prue. "And my offer still stands," he said to her.

"I know Darryl. Thanks," replied Prue. "Have a safe trip back." He and Prue shared a smile before he turned to address everyone in the room.

"But for crying out loud, will somebody at least pick up the phone around here?!" he cracked as he headed for the foyer and front door. "That or at least return the messages," he added.

He was joking, of course, but at the same time felt serious. Darryl couldn't help but wonder that if the sisters had answered or responded back to his urgent calls, they might have been able to avoid Prue's kidnapping. And maybe, just maybe, Andy would still be around too. Phoebe closed her eyes and shook her head, while walking behind Darryl. Piper followed them out into the foyer and Darryl went for the door.

"I swear Darryl, if we had gotten any messages we would have gotten back to you right away. But we didn't," she swore.

"Yeah, there weren't any messages, Darryl," Piper reaffirmed. "But, then, again if someone wanted to get to Prue that badly and wanted to make sure they couldn't be stopped?"

Darryl put up his hand.

"Yeah, I think I get it. No further explanation needed," he remarked before Piper had the chance to finish her sentence. "Like I said, good luck. It sounds like you're going to need it!" He reached for the knob and opened the door. "Give Paige my best," he offered. Then, he exited the manor for the final time.

"Bye Darryl," replied Phoebe. She helped to close the door, then turned back around to look at Piper who was standing behind her with both arms crossed. Then, Phoebe walked past her and began her trot in the direction of the kitchen. "Better get that coffee," she announced during her stride.

"Yeah, I'll help you with that," replied Piper as she turned to trail closely behind her sister.

**ooooo**

Paige orbed back into the attic of the manor both quietly and undetected. A million questions were running through her mind and she concluded only one person would have the answers to them.

_Well, make that two. Knowing Grams, she probably knew about Prue from the very beginning. _

Somehow, Paige just could not picture Penelope Halliwell being kept in the dark about anything when it came to her granddaughters. Paige proceeded to close the attic door as gently as possible so that she wouldn't alert anyone to her presence. After locking it, she gathered some candles from the table and positioned them on the floor so that they formed a circle. What she needed to do she needed to do alone. At least for now. Since her father had erred on the side of caution by being vague and opted not to be as forthcoming as she would have preferred, this was her last option in seeking out the truth. However, she figured there was no point in getting everyone else riled up without being absolutely sure first.

The Book of Shadows was then opened to the page that provided the summoning spell. Paige took a moment to release a quick breath and began to read ...

_Hear these words, hear my cry_; _Spirit from the other side_; _Come to me, I summon thee_; _Cross now the great Divide._

Paige mused that it seemed like this particular spell was being used alot lately. She watched as a flurry of white orbs began to materialize in front of her. Then, the form of Patty Halliwell appeared as the two women locked stares. Patty released a smile in her daughter's direction.

"Paige!" she announced, happy to see her daughter.

Quickly, her transparent form materialized into her former, physical form and she stepped out of the circle intent on embracing her daughter in a big hug. It had been awhile since she had been given the opportunity to spend some time alone with her youngest daughter.

Paige smiled and walked forward to accept the embrace. "Mom."

While they hugged, Paige closed her eyes and Patty gently rubbed her daughter's back in a comforting, loving gesture.

"It's so good to see you. It's been too long," she remarked to her daughter.

"Same here, Mom," Paige answered back as they broke from the embrace. They now stood face to face but held onto each other's hands.

Patty took a closer look at her daughter. Paige would always be her baby even if her daughter didn't see it that way. After all, she deeply regretted having to give her away when she hadn't wanted to. Despite the fact that she was grateful her daughter had been blessed with two wonderful parents and a good life, Patty still felt the guilt of having to walk away from Paige. Especially since her daughter didn't know the full truth behind it. She felt bad that she had been forced to keep her daughter separated from her sisters while growing up. A part of her did feel like she was abandoning her baby that fateful day when she and Sam brought Paige to the church and to Sister Agnus. However, it had been necessary. Upon observing her daughter carefully, she now caught the questioning look in Paige's eyes.

"Paige, is something the matter? You look like you have something on your mind?" she asked her.

Paige sighed. "Uh., actually I do. But I honestly don't know where to begin," she added.

Patty nodded her head in acceptance.

"Here, why don't we go sit down and start from there," she suggested in a soft, motherly fashion.. She took her daughter by one hand in an attempt to lead them over to the couch. "So, I take it that it's something important and this is why you summoned me then?" she added as both women sat down. "I know that you and I have never had any real time to talk alone. Our meetings have been brief or accompanied by some crisis," she replied with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, tell me about," Paige replied and smirked back before turning serious again. "And not that I don't appreciate the bonding sentiment but this is actually kind of serious," she began gently.

"Okay," Patty replied while listening intently to her daughter's words.

Paige closed her eyes and released a deep breath of air before continuing. "Alright," she breathed out. Then, she opened her eyes looking her mother straight hers. "First, let me stress that I am in no way trying to judge you, or the past, or anything for that matter. But I really, really need you to be truthful with me right now," she continued. "It's important. Someone's life depends on it. Actually, make that two. No four," she re-amended while making a face.

"Paige, what is it?" Patty asked with concern laced in her voice. "Are you or your sisters in some kind of trouble?"

"Uh, when are we not?" Paige tried to joke in stride but turned back to being serious again. "No, seriously, yes and no to that question. Yes, meaning that one sister might be in some serious trouble if we don't get the truth. No, meaning that the other sisters should be fine. I hope," she finished on second thought.

Patty had a bewildered expression plastered across her face. "Paige, I don't think I understand," she began with a shake of her head before her daughter cut in quickly.

"It's about Prue, mom," Paige decided to blurt out and get the truth out into the open as quickly as possible.

Patty tensed up at the sound of her eldest daughter's name being mentioned.

"What about Prue, Paige?" she asked as calmly as she could. Patty contemplated where this discussion was probably leading. _Did they find out about Prue? _Suddenly, she felt another sensation of guilt wash over her at her part in keeping it a secret all those years back.

Mother and daughter sat in an uncomfortable silence together.

**ooooo **

Phoebe turned around with the coffee pot in hand, ready to pour. Piper finished placing the cups on top of the counter as her sister began to pour one by one.

"Piper, I think it was a little too soon for Dad to come," Phoebe announced, voicing her opinion.

"Yeah, well, what was I suppose to do?" Piper defended. "When I picked up the kids, he insisted. I couldn't very well tell him no," she explained to her sister. "Besides, it was bound to happen eventually. Dad already knew the truth. Because you told him, I might add. And we really have no right to keep him away, anyway. Whatever issues he and Prue may or may not still have, they'll have to work it out. But we're not keeping anyone in this family in the dark anymore. About anything," she concluded firmly.

Phoebe smirked.

"Don't you really mean whatever issues you and Prue may still have?" she dished out, part playfully but part seriously.

After she finished pouring, she placed the coffee pot back down and looked back up. When Piper didn't respond, Phoebe continued on with the point she wanted to make.

"Look, Piper, we really need to start pulling together so we can defeat the Triad. We all need to start working with Prue so she can play catch up to the rest of us. She's been away from the whole witch thing for awhile. Right now, using her powers is probably rusty at best. There's updated spells, updated information about demons, new potions," she rattled off as Piper interrupted her.

"Phoebe, you're rambling," she interjected. "Isn't that suppose to be Paige's department?" she cracked. Both sisters shared a genuine smile. Then, Piper sighed. "But seriously. I'm well aware of everything you just said. Believe me," she expressed. "And we will. Let's just try to get through this first."

"Yeah," Phoebe mumbled.

Piper proceeded to pick up two of the cups and exited the kitchen with them. Phoebe sighed and took the remaining cup in hand, following in her sister's direction.

**ooooo**

Patty patiently waited for her daughter to continue. If the eerie silence enveloping them was any indication, then this was definitely something big and Paige was having some trouble breaking the ice with it. So, in that instant, Patty decided to gather up whatever courage she had inside to make it a bit easier on her. After all, she already had a pretty good idea what this was going to be about. She took a deep intake of breath and cast her gaze to the floor.

"Paige," she began. "Do you and your sisters know the truth about Prue?" she finally asked. "Is that what this is all about?" Her eyes locked with her daughter's.

Paige was momentarily taken aback by her mother's keen sense of intuition on the matter-at-hand. She took a moment to gather her bearings and her thoughts.

"Actually, mom, Prue's back with us," she responded. "And before we get into the rest, yes, we know about the deal she made with the Elders, yes, we know she never really died and yes, we know you and grams went along with it!" After releasing all that out in one breath, she sighed before continuing on. "Piper was the first to find out the truth!"

Patty closed her eyes and sighed. She knew how hard Prue's death had been on Piper all those years back and how hard she had struggled to fill her older sister's shoes.

Patty briefly thought back to when they were children. When Prue and Piper were small, they had their moments when sibling rivalry was at its peak. However, Patty also knew how much Piper had looked up to Prue in those same moments and tried so hard to follow in her footsteps. Piper had wanted to share the same toys, had wanted to dress just like Prue, and she even wanted to follow her big sister to kindergarten. Patty remembered how heartbroken her three-year old daughter had been when she sat her down to explain that it was not her time to go to school yet. But that one day soon, she would get to go and meet her own special friends. Of course, shortly after, Phoebe came along and that uprooted Piper even more. No longer was she the baby sister but she was now wedged in the middle. But as the years passed, even after her death, Patty came to understand how hard Piper had perfected her role as the middle sister. She worked hard at being the peace-maker, the mediator amongst her older and youngest sister's quarrels. It was a comfortable role Piper had maintained for many years until that fateful day back in 2001. Then she was thrust into the role of oldest sister and it had been difficult until familiarity set in. Now not only was Prue back but Piper was being thrust back to her middle sister status. A role she would be sharing with Phoebe. It had to be a shocking realization at the very least.

"How is she taking it?" Patty asked with her eyes still shut.

She knew how dependant both Piper and Phoebe had been on Prue while growing up in the wake of her absence. But she tended to worry about Piper getting past this a little bit more. She opened her eyes as she listened to Paige speak.

Paige sighed. "Well, honestly, not that good," she admitted to her mother. "But, on the bright side, I think she's starting to come around a little. And believe me, that's a big improvement. I mean, if you only saw her a week ago. Alot has gone down in a short period of time."

Patty continued to observe her daughter while she spoke. "What do you mean?

"Well, alot, but the first thing I want to talk about is Prue," she answered. "Look, I went to see Sam before I came back here, I mean, Dad," she corrected herself. "And there's something that's really bothering me." Paige paused, took a deep breath, then continued. "Prue got shot by a darklighter's arrow today. She could have died and I need to know why that is. Witches aren't suppose to be affected by the poison but she was. And when I asked Dad about it he gave me a funny vibe. And I think I may know why but I really, really need you to confirm it for me," she stressed while closing her eyes. Then, she opened them back up. "Please?"

Patty felt herself involuntarily tighten up at each word that passed through her daughter's lips. She brought her hand up to her chest at the mention of Prue being shot and almost killed. That was not what she had meant to have happen when she had backed up the idea of Prue's new, magic-free life. It had been a painful decision but, at the time, she felt like going along with it was the only option available to keep all four of her daughters alive. After all, it wasn't fair that they should be made to pay for her mistakes. Unfortunately, that didn't appear to be the case any longer. They were enduring the consequences of the past and the secret had finally caught up with them. Actually, in all honesty, it could have happened way before this but luckily they were in a position where it never came down to that.

"Mom?" Paige pushed when Patty remained silent, lost in her own thoughts from the past. "Prue's life isn't the only one on the line here. Prue has a daughter she brought back with her. Actually, the Underworld took her. Prue does have her back now but that's a whole other story. Anyway, her name's Molly. And then, there's the fact that Prue's expecting and the baby was affected too. Not to mention Billie," she trailed off.

Patty saw the pleading look in her daughter's eyes as she listened intently to every piece of information she supplied. It wasn't so much the fact that Paige wanted the truth, but the other questions swirling in her mind did bother her. Why hadn't the Elders let her know about Prue's return? Why did they allow her to be reunited with her sisters? Not to mention, they had promised that Prue's new life would be safe. That the Underworld would be unable to find her. But, now, she was hearing about a granddaughter she had never known about nor met being kidnapped by demons? How did they let this happen? Suddenly, she found herself wishing she had taken a different course of action. Perhaps, telling the truth from the beginning would have been better for everyone in the long run. Sure, it would have been shocking and hurtful to those kept in the dark but maybe all of this could have been avoided. At least the Elders never would have been able to use the truth as a bargaining chip. Or, at the very least, that despicable Gideon.

_Please forgive me_, Patty pleaded out into the universe.

"Paige, who's Billie?" Patty asked, before unleashing the inevitable truth that was bound to come out some time. She heard her daughter mutter that name at the end but hadn't given it too much thought until this very second. Who was this person and how would this truth have an impact on them?

"Well, to make a long story short," began Paige. "She's another granddaughter of yours. Um, I guess Prue had her very young and grams thought it was best to, uh, give her a better life?" she settled on. "Only things didn't completely turn out as planned. Kinda' like me," she tried joking with a light laugh.

"Oh, Paige," Patty sighed and closed her eyes briefly. She reached out and pulled her in for another hug. "I wish so much that I would have done things differently. Please know that," she pleaded with her youngest daughter.

Paige felt slightly uncomfortable and gently pulled back.

"Hey, I was kind of just joking. It's just that Billie and I share some eerie similarities, that's all I meant to point out. Both adopted, both of us had sisters we never got the chance to know, and we both had this magical destiny thing kind of shoved in our faces. Not to mention, our adoptive parents lost their lives. It's weird because I was in my teens too when I lost mine. So, I can really kind of relate to what she's going through right now," she concluded.

"I'm really sorry to hear all that," Patty offered. "If there's anything I'm coming to learn right now, it's that secrets have a tendency to backfire somehow or someway," she sighed.

"Yeah, back to that," Paige tread-ed lightly. "Look, despite the fact that our lives have virtually evolved into a living soap opera the past week or so, I really want to know the truth." She paused. "Is Prue," she stammered out slowly. "Like me?"

Paige observed her mother intently awaiting her reaction to the inquiry. Slowly, Patty began to nod her head in affirmation which led Paige to take in a deep breath and stand up on her two feet. "Whoa," she remarked. "So, does this mean that," Paige continued as she began pacing the floor in light of the revelation.

"Yes, Paige. It's means that Sam is Prue's father too," she confirmed.

Paige stopped pacing and turned around to face her mother. Patty stood on her feet as well and approached her daughter slowly. She immediately sensed what her daughter had to be thinking. How could she have kept Prue but given her away? This revelation quite obviously meant that Prue was the first one to be born out of a forbidden union yet she hadn't been hidden or kept a secret.

"I don't understand," Paige immediately jumped in. "Did the Elder's know about her because if they did how did," but she didn't finish her sentence as she began to reflect on her own past.

How could her parents afford to keep Prue around but not provide her with the same protection and opportunity? Why did she have to be given away? Suddenly, she felt some hurt begin to unravel the more she re-evaluated the circumstances surrounding her birth.

Patty immediately stepped forward, intent on offering her daughter reassurance that this truth in no way impacted how they had felt about her. She grabbed ahold of her daughter's hands.

"Paige, we did what we did to protect you! I need you to believe that because this was never about choosing Prue over you," Patty sighed once again. "I'm lucky I didn't lose Prue when I had her because we almost did. And that's the only reason why I went along with faking Prue's death. I didn't want to lose either of you," she desperately tried explaining.

"So, then, the Elders did know about Prue?" Paige asked her mother. "Why not me?" she inquired. Patty turned back around and sat back on the couch as she continued on with the story.

"The Elders didn't find out about you until later on because I cast a protection spell over you before you were born. It continued to shield you even after your birth but we had to make absolute certain that they couldn't find you. So, we did the only thing we could think to do. We left you with Sister Agnus and we trusted her to find you a good home. A home where you would be loved, allowed to live your life, and somewhere you'd be kept safe. But," Patty paused. "Gideon eventually stumbled upon the truth and made it very clear that one of you would be taken back. Because the existence of a fourth sister violated the conditions set forth within the Charmed Prophecy," she explained.

Paige stood with her arms crossed, listening intently to the story her mother told. Slowly, she approached the couch to sit back down beside her mother. "Okay, but I'm still confused. Why did you give me away if they allowed you to keep Prue?" she questioned.

"Unfortunately, I didn't get the same chance with Prue because the Elders detected her before she was born," Patty reflected sadly. "I was wiser the second time around with you. Your father and I had become close before Victor ever came into the picture. And we were warned about the consequences and where it would lead if our relationship progressed any further from what it already was but we just didn't care. I loved him and we took that risk. Then," she paused, "I became pregnant. With Prue. They, uh, found out and threatened to take her when she was born. Her birth violated an essential clause that prohibited the union between whitelighters and their charges. Sam and I basically pleaded with them to reconsider but they refused. In the end, it wasn't until I basically renounced my witch status and Sam threatened to cut his wings that they gave in. At the time, I didn't understand why but essentially if I had given up being a witch, it would have prevented the Charmed Prophecy from coming to pass. So an arrangement was reached. Which we reluctantly agreed to. Sam and I were to part ways and were never suppose to have contact again. And any whitelighter abilities Prue stood to inherit, would be stripped away for good," she concluded.

"And were they?" Paige inquired. "Stripped, I mean? Because Molly has them. I've seen it. But Billie doesn't. So I'm a little lost about how that works if they blocked Prue from becoming a whitelighter," she finished, hoping her mother could provide some further insight to end that particular confusion.

"The stripping never took place, Paige, because there was never any indication of whitelighter powers to begin with," Patty answered her daughter seriously. "Why?" she continued, shrugging her shoulders, "I don't know. Sam explained that any type of magic can skip generations but the powers can still be carried and passed on. Or they can start to develop at a later period in time. Just like in the Warren line. You girls each possess a special gift that I didn't necessarily have myself but it was still carried through the line and passed on. Well, with the exception of Piper, of course," she quickly corrected with a small smile. "So I guess it's possible for Prue's children to either have whitelighter abilities or they might not. It just depends what gets passed on," she summarized as best she could.

Paige shook her head. "So, then why did Prue have a reaction to the poison? Because if it skipped over her ..."

"It's still in the blood, Paige," Patty quickly interjected. "Powers or no powers, nothing changes that. Prue and any of those kids will be vulnerable so they do have to be extremely careful when they come into contact with any darklighters. They're still part whitelighter with or without the powers. "Just like you," she stressed. "That's how it gets passed on. So please be very careful. I don't want anything bad to happen to any of you."

Paige released a smirk. "Ah, biology was never my strong suite," she joked with a wave of her hand in the air. "But, then again, neither were the arts," she reflected as it helped to lighten the mood of the conversation for a brief moment.

Paige sighed as her thoughts turned more serious in nature because she wondered where she was suppose to go from here. How on earth was she suppose to break news this big? Keeping the pregnancy to herself was one thing because Prue would find out eventually, and that's if she didn't know already. But how was she going to approach a sister she barely knew to tell her this news.

_Hey, guess what? You and I are closer than anyone could have imagined. We actually share the same exact parentage so welcome to the whitelighter-witch club. Pull up a chair and take an orb with me. _

Not to mention, the impact this revelation would have on Piper and Phoebe. It felt rather ironic that for such a long time she envied Prue for sharing something with their other two sisters that she couldn't. But, now, she actually shared something with Prue that Piper and Phoebe never would, which was both parents and two magical lines. A comforting feeling began to settle over her because suddenly she didn't feel so alone anymore. She loved Piper and Phoebe but sometimes they just couldn't relate to her dilemma when it came to being both a whitelighter and a witch. Now, with one of her sisters being like her, maybe some of the pressure would lighten up. But there was still the issue of how her sisters would take the news. Would Prue accept it? After all, she had rejected it for awhile. Then, there was Piper and Phoebe. Would they resent her because of the truth?

Patty noticed her daughter was in deep thought so she decided to prod. "Paige, how are you dealing with this?" she decided to ask. Because somehow, _Are you okay,_ just seemed completely inappropriate given the circumstances. "Is there something else you wanted to ask me before I go back?" she volunteered willingly.

"No, but it's just, how am I suppose to tell them this?" she questioned her mother in all seriousness. "So much has happened recently and all these secrets have been taking their toll on everyone. Especially Piper. I don't want to hurt any of them with the truth but we just can't keep secrets. So how do I tell them?" she repeated.

"You don't," Patty answered quickly, with a shake of her head. "I do," she firmly concluded. "Sam and I will do it together. This isn't your burden to carry, Paige, or your secret to tell. We created the consequences that set everything spiraling out of control so it's about time you girls stopped paying the price for it. I'll go and see your father but I do have to go because I've been away longer than I should have," she concluded while standing back up. Paige stood up with her and Patty quickly reached out to hug her daughter one last time.

"I love you," Patty muttered. "Be safe."

Paige watched as her mother stepped back inside the circle and transformed into spirit form. She smiled at her daughter and waited as white orbs engulfed her, taking her back into the afterlife.

**ooooo**

Billie lay sprawled on her bed inside the same dorm room she shared with her roommate. In her hand, a small plastic ball could be seen as she threw it up against the ceiling and caught it as it came back down. She repeated the motion over and over until her roommate finally took it upon herself to sit on the edge of her bed.

"Okay, so what gives?" Jasmine asked, while gently swatting Billie against her leg. Billie stopped throwing the ball and looked across in her direction.

"What do you mean?" Billie asked.

"What do I mean? I mean you've been moping around here, like, since you got back. So what gives?" she repeated. "You look, depressed or something," she conjectured. "Were your living arrangements that bad?" Jasmine gestured with a quick nod of the head, in order to make the point, in the same direction as Billie's two, unpacked boxes, that were lying on the floor.

Billie sighed and moved herself up from the bed into a sitting position.

"Oh! That," she responded. "Yeah, well, slight change of plans there," she muttered just loud enough for Jasmine to hear. "I think I'll be spending the rest of the school year here. So, I hope you don't mind?" Billie added with another sigh and a quick quirk of her brows.

"Hey," Jasmine threw back her way as she got off the bed. "Why should I mind? It's your room too. Just wanted to make sure everything was cool, that's all," she stressed, while walking back to her side of the room and sitting down in front of the small, vanity positioned next to her bed. She proceeded to pick up the hairbrush and curler to finish styling her hair.

"Yeah, every-thing's cool," she lied to her roommate.

Jasmine smiled at her reflection in the mirror, while putting the brush and curler back down. In a conspiratorial manner, she left her chair and pounced back onto the bed. "Good. Then, you won't mind coming with me to the Alpha house's party tonight," she prodded Billie with her smile still held firmly in place.

Billie groaned, closed her eyes, and threw her head back into the pillow while grabbing the edges. "Jasmine, I hate those parties," she moaned. "There's nothing there but a bunch of horny guys drinking and trying to solicit every girl that walks through that door into getting laid."

"Okay, so what's wrong with that?" Jasmine laughed. "You look like you can use it," she cracked.

Billie threw her a strong glare. "That is so not funny and totally disgusting," she remarked seriously. Then she turned to lie on her side while releasing a sigh full of disdain. "And the last thing I need right now is to end up following in _her_ footsteps," she spat out under her breath with a slight roll of her eyes.

Jasmine didn't hear Billie's dig but she continued to laugh at her reaction and facial expression.

"Billie, chill. I'm only joking. But you have to admit, you've been acting like a complete killjoy this school year. I get that you've been going through a rough time with your parents being gone and all but you need to throw yourself back into life a little bit, ya know? It's been over six months," she argued with a slight frown in place. Then, she paused, allowing her smile to return. "But, hey, if you're so worried about all those horny guys pawing at you then you can always take that hot, new guy you've been seen sporting around campus. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to play the white knight," she cracked with a smirk.

Billie turned her head at the mention of her friend. "JD?" she remarked.

"So, alas, the mystery man has a name," she laughed. "A couple of my friends saw you two, _ahem_, kissing outside in front of the library a few days ago," she added with a smile.

Billie just closed her eyes and threw her head back against the pillow. "We're just friends," she uttered. Right now, she just really felt complete exhaustion consuming her body and she didn't have the strength to argue the point.

"Whatever you say," Jasmine mocked back as she got off the bed for the second time. "Seriously, though. If you happen to change your mind, you know where to find me," she offered as she grabbed her small, leather jacket off the back of her chair and made her way to leave the room.

"I won't change my mind," she muttered back.

"Want the lights off?" Jasmine asked before exiting the door.

"Yes," she muttered a second time in response to her roommate's question. Billie felt herself bordering on the edge of sleep as Jasmine flicked the light switch on the wall off and closed the door behind her. At the sound of her roommate's departure, she tossed to her other side with her back facing the door.

Night had fallen so darkness embodied the entire layout of the room. A few minutes had passed before a slight draft could be felt and a slight creaking noise could be heard. Naturally, Billie assumed that Jasmine had returned to torture her with one last attempt at getting her to go to that party. Only the creaking hadn't been the sound of the door opening.

"Jasmine? Forget it," Billie mumbled. "I said I'm not going!"

Then, seconds later, a gloved-hand clasped itself tightly over her mouth cutting off most of her air supply. Billie's eyes bolted open in shock as she squirmed, moaned, and grabbed for the hand held firmly in place. His body weight put her at a disadvantage because the pressure placed against her immobilized her, enabling her to use her telekinesis to move him away.

"So, witch," the voice sneered. "How about leading me to that boyfriend of yours?" Billie managed to turn her head around just enough to get a look at the man hovering above her. Then, he smirked. "What was that?" he mocked, smirking, in response to her muffled sounds and squirming gestures. "Uh, yes. Well, I actually agree." He released an evil laugh. "Why don't we let him come to you?!"

Then, in a quick flurry of black, the darklighter orbed away with Billie.

**ooooo **

Paige hustled down the stairs feeling both anxious and on edge. Her mother had promised to be the one to break the startling news but the more Paige had thought about it afterwards, the more she thought it was better to at least warn her sisters that something big was coming down. It felt like the right thing to do. Somehow, it didn't seem fair to let them be taken completely by surprise the way she had been. She would just play it off like Patty had been the one to visit her first. Then, on second thought, she pondered just telling them the truth after her parents spilled the news. After all, it wasn't her fault that she had accidentally stumbled upon the truth because of one simple meeting with her father.

As she entered the foyer and turned into the living room, she was momentarily startled to see Victor there. Her eyes scanned the room as she caught sight of the children playing on the floor, while Piper and Phoebe sat with Victor on the couch to one side of the room and Prue was curled up in the chair, sipping on something.

"Oh, hey, Victor," she greeted as pleasantly as possible.

Victor and her sisters all turned to look in her direction.

"Hey, Paige," Victor answered. "How've you been?" he greeted back quite sincerely, given the awkward setting she finally realized that she had stumbled into. Come to think of it, nobody appeared to be doing much talking.

"Good. Good," she answered back with a dramatic nod of her head.

Piper watched her sister's body language and immediately picked up that something seemed off. Over the years, she had become pretty attuned to reading through her sisters. She sent Paige a questioning look before Phoebe decided to interrupt.

_Thank god. The silence in here is practically deafening. _

"Paige," Phoebe put emphasis on her name in a sugary tone while standing up. "Come have a seat," she offered.

Paige put her hands up in the air to protest. "No, it's okay, I hope I'm not intruding on anything?" she questioned while back tracking her steps. Then, she met with Piper's stare after looking from each person in the room.

"Oh, no, trust me. You're not!" she remarked with a fake smile and sending a knowing look with her eyes so that her sister would pick up on it. "Feel free to join us," she added.

Paige picked up on the meaning and sent her sister a nod. Then, she sat down beside her, sighed, and clasped her hands together. Phoebe took the opportunity to stretch and walk around.

"So," Paige attempted to begin a discussion. "I guess the truth has been quite a shock for everybody. I know I'm still adjusting," she added with another nod of her head as she looked around the room for a response. Any response.

_And if only they knew the other half of it. Literally._

"Well, we're all adjusting and Prue's memory is still coming around so I'm sure things will start to settle back into place soon," Phoebe decided to chime in with a small laugh. "So, maybe we can pick this up at another time?" she suggested with a small shrug while awaiting everyone's confirmation.

Honestly, Phoebe acknowledged that some of what she had said was a complete and utter crock. Prue and Victor had lingering issues way before her sister's memory loss ever entered into the picture. They had attempted a minor reconcilation before her supposed _death_but that journey had been far from over. But, the truth be told, this was getting to be too much even for her sanity. Prue hadn't said more than a couple words for the entire duration, Piper still had her issues to contend with so there wasn't much conversation to be had between her and Prue, and Victor just appeared completely lost on what he was suppose to say or do. The few moments they did share involved some interaction with the kids but that was it. Phoebe loved her father but her first assessment had been correct. This reunion had come too soon. The last thing she wanted was to practically kick her father out the front door but they needed to end this masquerade. And the sooner the better.

Prue was the first one to respond.

"Uh, yeah, that sounds good to me," she answered while getting up from the chair. "Actually, I'm still feeling pretty beat. Alot of good this coffee did me. Maybe I will switch to unleaded?" she cracked and looked at the remaining content found inside the cup. "I need sleep, that's my problem."

However, at the mention of Prue drinking coffee, Paige lept on her feet and grabbed for the cup.

"Hey, give me that!" she announced without thinking. "You shouldn't be drinking caffeine, it's not good for the baby," she blurted. By the time she realized her mistake, it was too late. She looked from Prue, to Piper, to Victor, and finally to Phoebe. All of them sent her questioning stares. "Oops," she uttered while returning to her seat, coffee cup in hand. She closed her eyes trying to cover up her momentary embarrassment caused by her slip of the tongue.

"Baby?" Victor repeated as he looked at Prue and back to Paige. "What baby?"

"Yeah, what baby?" Prue responded with a nervous laugh. "I'm not pregnant Paige," she refuted.

_At least I hope not.That's the last thing I need added to my already complicated life. And with everything else going on too? Perfect timing. _

However, the more Prue thought about it, the possibility began to grow to life within her mind. After all, it wasn't like she and Andy hadn't been together before this whole mess unraveled. And she had been feeling kind of sick lately, although, she had just shrugged it off as nervous jitters due to the circumstances she found herself in. But she soon realized that this month, she was late again. She had pushed it aside the previous month because she figured it would come back the next month. She had been known to skip occasionally. But never twice in a row.

_Just great_.

Piper took a quick glance in Prue's direction and immediately picked up on the worry that now appeared written all over her face. "Paige?" Piper prodded, and looked to her to explain. "Unless you're confusing Prue with me, how do you even know that?" she asked.

Prue briefly looked to Piper after her subtle admission of being pregnant passed through her lips. She hadn't known but now that she did it struck her as rather ironic. However, Prue also felt a twinge of guilt. All the added stress linked with her sudden reappearance probably wasn't very good for her or the baby. And the last thing she wanted was to cause anymore disruption or pain.

Paige sighed and stood back up.

"Look, I'm sorry I just blurted it out like that. But I didn't know if you already knew or not so I didn't say anything before. Dimitri told me that while he was healing you he sensed the baby. He told me that's why I had trouble healing you because both you and the baby were in trouble," she settled on.

Prue looked slightly taken aback by the sudden revelation. "Oh," she muttered with her gaze locked on the floor and a slight shake of her head. Then, pulling herself out of her stupor, she tried to make light about it. "Well, then. So much for home pregnancy tests, huh?" she attempted to joke.

"Prue, you can still take a test to be sure," Piper spoke up in a light of the new revelation. "Then, you can take it from there," she advised gently.

Phoebe, who had opted to remain quiet, stepped forward to offer her sister a hug. "Listen, sweetie, I think it's great if you are, okay?" she offered up her support readily. "And we're here to help so please remember that. With anything you need."

Prue accepted the hug and the support. "Thanks," she replied back. But, still, she remained weary about being pregnant at a time like this. And worst of all, Andy wasn't even here to share in it or to lean on anymore. Why did it all have to turn out this way?

Then, Piper made the decision to get up and offer her support as well. Things still felt a bit jaded between them but she had made a promise to herself, and to Billie, that she would start to work past it. And there was no time like the present to get started. After Phoebe pulled back, Piper hugged her as well.

"Prue, it'll be alright. Everything eventually works out. So please listen Phoebe," Piper replied and pulled back. "You don't always have to do everything on your own, you know?" she supplied. "We were put together for a reason which means we fight our battles together. We're stronger that way."

Prue listened to Piper's words. However, suddenly, it felt like those words were no longer geared at the possibility of another new baby entering the home. No, the message went much deeper. It was probably something that had been bothering her sister ever since she had gone and left them alone over five years ago. But, in a calmer state, it was much easier to pick up on where Piper was trying to come from.

"Okay," she agreed with a small smile.

Suddenly, Paige's voice broke in from the back ground. "So," she issued. "Should I take this as a sign you're not mad at me for my unbelievably bad timing?"

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe all broke with a smile as they held out their arms to welcome her into the fold.

"No, of course not," Prue answered as they shared a small, sisterly moment inside a group hug.

Then they broke apart. At least the revelation had provided them with a tension-free moment, something Paige hadn't been expecting. Even Victor was moved enough to walk over and offer Prue a hug at the news. It was a moment they needed before the truth came back knocking at the door, setting loose all those tension and stress-filled days ahead.

**ooooo **

It was the dark of night as he tread-ed lightly over the grass and under the dimly, lit moon. Actually, the tree leaves were responsible for their part in helping to shield the moonlight and its magnificent glow up high in the sky. The only sound to be heard around him and in the distance were the night crickets, hidden within the plant life, invisible to the naked eye. When he reached his destination, he stopped.

Coop slowly knelt down in front of the tombstone that held the name of the one person he had loved and cherished during his entire lifetime as a mortal. And he had lost her. They had allowed their petty differences to separate them, they had drifted apart, and in the end it had cost them their lives. Honestly, he had convinced himself that he had put this part of his past to rest but after today that didn't seem to be the case at all. Reappearing before the Council had dredged it back up.

Slowly, he glanced between her grave and the small grave positioned directly next to hers. It was suppose to be the resting place belonging to the baby girl he had never gotten the opportunity to see grow up. But, he knew better and before his own death, he had imagined the worst possible scenarios.

Now, he stood contemplating the possibility that she was still out there somewhere.

* * *

**To be continued ... **hehe. **Lol**, seriously, stay tuned for the next chapter. And don't forget to review. **;o) **


	22. History Revisited

Thanks, once again, to my reviewers: **I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts, 1treehillcharmed**, **LoveAngel 1705**, **Jedi Alanna**, and my new reviewer **Charmedgirl-AlyssaPhoebe**.

**Charmedgirl - **lol, glad you like my style. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. But, in answer to your questions, some of the revelations were planned from the beginning and some unfolded while I wrote. There's another bigger one coming but we'll have to see about the rest, okay? **;o)**

**Jedi Alanna: lol,** okay, this is going to be long:

First, we have to assume that Sam is darker than Patty otherwise Paige wouldn't make sense either. Her natural color was black (before the red dye job) too. Although, Prue's hair looked different at different times - a real dark brown at times - black at other times. And Paige and Prue's hair coloring seemed similar while Patty, Piper, and Phoebe all shared a shade of dark brown. But if you happen to re-watch **P3 H2O**, Sam's hair color looks black in the flashback where he tries to stop Patty from vanquishing the water demon. Definitely looks darker than Patty's color.

But, genetics is funny here because Black and Brown are both dominant traits. They are both represented by a big "B" so who knows whether a black shade or brown shade will pass down on that particular chromosome. One isn't more dominant than the other. Blonde is the recessive trait and I completely forgot how the color red falls into the mix. It really gets alot more complex than the simple chart we get introduced to in Bio 101. Shades of dark and light can mix leading to natural highlights, mixed hair colors, etc.

However, for this purpose, let's stick to the simple bio chart ..."B" would represent either black/brown while "b" would represent blonde. Prue is dark but has blonde-haired children, therefore, she has to be a "Bb" mix along with Andy ("Bb") to get the blonde children "bb". So, Sam is either "BB" or "Bb" and that could explain Prue/Paige's black hair while Patty would be a "Bb" mix because one parent would have had to pass on the recessive blonde trait so Prue could have blonde children. Sam gave her the big "B" and Patty gave her the little "b" making Prue "Bb." Each parent contributes one chromosome to each trait regardless of who shares the same colors or not.

**lol ...** Okay. It may be irrelevant but it's fun to try and figure out. But black or brown, it works out either way because of Patty and Sam being black/brown.

As for the rest, Piper may have a different perspective on the whole situation. Granted, she'll still have issues about the lying but we'll see! **;o)**

* * *

**Chapter 21: History Revisited**

_**Underworld ...**_

In the depths of the Underworld, Lana crept through the winding pathway leading to Gideon's hidden lair. She was intent on seeking him out regarding the next stages of their plan. In truth, she had been growing rather impatient. They had made a decision to shift their focus from the Charmed Ones to the existing members of the Twice Blessed Generation but that had been days ago. Why hadn't she heard anything back from him?

As she reached the cavern, voices could be heard echoing in the distance. They were coming from inside the enclosed space. Abruptly, she stopped in her tracks only to place her back against the solid wall to remain hidden from sight. Then, in a slow and cautious manner, she used her head to peak around the corner in order to locate the source of the sound. There, inside Gideon's sanctuary, stood Gideon and the other Triad members engaged in some sort of discussion.

What are they doing here, she seethed. It had been Gideon who stressed the importance of moving forward without alerting the others to their previous failure. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the rock and used her power to block her presence from being sensed by the collective. She had actually been getting pretty good at it. She listened intently to every word passing from their lips ...

_"This is the next best course of action to be taken," Gideon could be heard explaining to the others. "We gather the existing members of the next generation and lure them back in!" he explained._

_"With the box?" the THIRD Triad asked. "But how are we suppose to tap into the power? We're can't even predict what the box will do when it's opened," he argued._

_"What I don't understand is how you let them escape in the first place?" the SECOND Triad spoke up. "None of this would be necessary had you done the job right!" he spat._

_Gideon turned on the second member. _

_"The job was done right! But we needed to keep the location detectable to lure the last sister in! We had all of them except her. It's Lana," he accused. "She's the problem. She's become a liability!" he reasoned before the others._

At the mention of her name, Lana tensed. Her eyes bulged and her fists tightened at her sides when she heard the accusation being made against her. It took every ounce of strength she had not to barge into their exclusive, four-man session in order to knock Gideon's lying ass flat on his face. How dare he? Deep down she always sensed he would pose a threat to her and now here he was making a case to have her annihilated from the collective ...

_"What do you mean?" the FIRST Triad asked. _

_"I mean her use has worn out. She's no longer useful in our quest to conquer the Ultimate Power or their progeny!" Gideon explained further. "They used some type of magic to replicate her image and free the witches. So, by now, they most likely know that she's not Christy. Never was ... which means we can't even use her to get to Billie anymore," he finished._

_"What about the status on the Nauscas?" interjected the THIRD Triad. "Has he had any luck in retrieving the child?"_

_Gideon huffed. "The Nauscas?" he repeated. "The Nauscas is nothing but a dead end! I sent two of them out but the second one failed to report back to me. Which means we assume he's been taken out. Besides, I only hired them to track the little girl so we could re-strip her powers again for Lana. What good is that to us now?"_

_"Then they must know about us!" argued the THIRD Triad member. "If the Charmed Ones got a hold of them, there's no way they didn't talk!" he looked to the FIRST and SECOND members as he spoke._

_Gideon turned around, his back facing the others, with his hands behind his back as he began pacing. _

_"I took care of the first one myself," interjected Gideon. "He became a liability and was dealt with accordingly," he stressed. "But forget the child for now. We'll get her back when the time is right. Anyway, it's quite reasonable to suspect that the Charmed Ones already figured out her identity. Especially after reuniting with their dead sister. They probably have her back as we speak," he contemplated. _

_"So what's the idiotic plan, now?" the SECOND Triad snidely replied. "To sit back and let some mystical box do all the work for us, if and when the Charmed Ones decide to venture back into the Underworld?" he mocked._

_"No!" cried Gideon impatiently. "By getting ahold of their next generation first we lure the Charmed Ones back to rescue them. The box will be used to trap the essences of the Twice Blessed Generation and we will take the Ultimate Power for ourselves!" he expressed with confidence._

_"And, how do you plan on getting to them, Gideon?" the FIRST Triad asked of him. "That's an impossible feat. Which is why we agreed to take out the Charmed Ones first. So, we could acquire their new power while it's weak. Then, we'd defeat the next generation when they're left alone and vulnerable."_

_Gideon smirked. "I'm working on that as we speak," he answered confidently. _

_"And how is that? Please do tell," the THIRD Triad spat back in disgust. _

_Then, moments later, a flash of black orbs materialized in front of the Triad as a darklighter appeared before them, Billie held tightly in his grasp. He released the young witch by throwing her to the ground in a rough manner. She slid onto the hard, rocky foundation skinning her hands in the process._

_"Ouch!" Billie exclaimed. "Watch it!" she stubbornly protested._

_She looked up into the face of a man she had never seen before. However, when she tilted her head sideways she could make out three familiar faces she had come into contact with earlier in the year. The Triad! _

_"Great," she mumbled to herself as she lifted herself from the ground, brushing the dirt from her clothes._

_The darklighter bowed before the The Triad Order. "Pardon me, my lords," he greeted. Then, he turned to address Gideon as Billie looked between them. "I take it this is the one you wanted?" the darklighter asked._

Lana heard the scuffle taking place inside the cavern. Immediately, she heard the voice of the other young woman and recognized that it belonged to Billie.

**ooooo**

Piper rolled over in bed, feeling anxious about the days to come.

As hard as she tried, she just couldn't make herself fall asleep. Why? Because the more she continued to think, the more all the possible obstacles facing them in the future continued to replay themselves over and over in her mind. Phoebe's words, about Prue, kept haunting her too.

It hadn't been the time to get into the discussion earlier, while their father had been visiting, but she did agree with her sister. There was still alot of ground to cover with Prue before she would be ready to help them take out the Triad. And, even more disturbing? The news about the baby. Granted, Piper fully acknowledged that she was pregnant and had to be careful too. However, she also recognized that she had some extra years of experience on her side that Prue didn't. How was Prue going to handle all of this quick-paced, heavy, intense training without putting herself and the baby at risk? Because, the truth be told, there was no more time to waste. And if today was any indication, Prue was definitely vulnerable. Piper didn't want to underestimate her sister's ability to jump back in or to take charge as a _Charmed One _again, but they did have cause to be concerned. Sadly, five years that should have been spent together with the four of them developing and strengthening this _Ultimate Power _base, had gone to the wayside. And it was all because of one Elder, in particular, that they had never seen coming.

"Damn, it's too hot in here," she mumbled while tossing in her restless state. Piper lifted her head up and adjusted the pillow with her hands, hoping to somehow make herself feel more comfortable. Finally, she gave up, threw the covers off of her, and got herself out of bed. "Screw it," she muttered.

A few hours ago, she had settled the boys down for bed while waiting for Leo to return home. However, they hadn't heard anything since Coop went to retrieve him some hours ago. That was another thing running through her mind. And then there was Billie. Phoebe shared the news that she was taking some time to be alone by moving back to the dorm full-time. Billie claimed she needed the space. And because Piper hadn't gotten the opportunity to check in with Billie herself, it made her speculate. _Maybe things didn't go so well between her and Prue, _she figured. Piper hated to worry but it was natural for her to do so. So she made a mental note to remember to check in with Billie later on. Just to make sure she was alright.

As Piper opened the door, she exited the room intent on making her way to the bathroom for a drink of water. The heat was getting to her and it was making her voice sound hoarse and her throat feel dry. She brought up her hand to cover her mouth as she released a dry cough but as she made her way down the hall, she suddenly stopped. Cautiously, she approached the door on her left side and began to knock softly. Maybe she couldn't offer any words of comfort to Billie tonight, but perhaps she could start with someone else.

"Prue?" she called out while knocking against the door lightly. "It's me, Piper!" She waited but received no response back from the other side of the closed door. "Is it alright if I come in?" she pressed on, not ready to give up. But, still, there was no answer. "Prue?"

_Hm, maybe she's asleep, _Piper concluded. Although, seeing the bright light shine through the crack underneath the bedroom door led her to assume her sister was still awake. So she decided to chance it by turning the knob and opening the door.

"Prue, look, I just want to talk ... " she started to explain but was met by the sight of an empty bedroom. Prue wasn't sleeping, in fact, she wasn't even in the bedroom. _Where did she go, _Piper wondered.

"HEY!" a voice sounded from behind her, causing her to jump and turn around.

"Leo!" she exclaimed upon noticing her husband's presence. He had startled her. "Don't do that," she sighed, while taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Where did you come from? I didn't even hear you," she finished, while lowering her voice.

Leo released a small, apologetic smile at his wife.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I just got back. From the Magic School," he elaborated. He released a heavy sigh. "There were some things I wanted to clear up with Dimitri first before I came home. How's Prue?" he asked with a concerned tone. "Dimitri told me what happened."

"Alive, thank god!" Piper sighed. She stepped in front of Leo and leaned her body weight against the wall behind her. "But, we're nowhere out of the woods," she stressed through figure of speech. "We still don't have a clue as to why there was a reaction in the first place."

Leo crossed his arms. "Yeah, that definitely shouldn't have happened," he acknowledged. "The poison from a darklighter's arrow is specifically tainted to take out its whitelighter counterpart."

"Right, and we know that!" stressed Piper. "But that's why we came up with the idea that maybe the poison is now somehow tainted against witches too!"

"No, not very likely," Leo refuted, shaking his head confidently. "The chemicals inside the poison serve to sense the chemical make-up found in a whitelighter's blood. When the blood emits these unique chemicals, the counter-agent in the poison picks it up and then it attacks the bloodstream," he finished explaining for his wife.

Piper absorbed the information Leo shared with her but it did very little to ease her conscious. "Great! So, we're still left back at square one," she cracked. "With no answers."

"Well, unless, there's something we just don't know," he suggested after thinking about it some more. "But, seeing as how the Elders aren't on our list of most favorite people at the moment, it's not like I can go off looking for answers from them!" he stressed. "Especially, not now!" he concluded firmly, thinking back to his meeting with the Afterlife Council. If anything, Leo fully recognized that his actions probably just brought on a war with them.

Piper sensed the change in her husband's demeanor. "Why?" she asked. "Dare I ask what you were off doing?" she probed even further. "And where's Coop? He was suppose to find you earlier," she inquired. "Phoebe was worried about him."

"Well, he found me," Leo admitted. "He left ahead of me after we got back to the school. We, uh, made an appearance before the Afterlife Council," he began explaining to her. "They're going to make a decision about Andy."

Suddenly, Piper's mood brightened up. She stood up straight and smiled back.

"Well, that sounds like some good news for a change," she replied. "Did it sound like they'd go for it?" she asked. However, immediately, she picked up that her husband appeared to be holding something back. "Leo, it is good news, right?" she sought clarification. "I mean, anything that doesn't involve the Elders, at this point, has to be a step in the right direction!"

Leo fidgeted. His body language appeared unsure at best. "

"Uh, maybe," he began hesitantly. "Maybe not. They want to convene and hold a tribunal. To decide whether or not there should be an indictment against some of the Elders," he clarified for her. "Then they'll probably make their decision about Andy."

"Oh," Piper stammered out, picking up where her husband was going with it. "So when you say Elders, you mean like ... " she started, while Leo completed his wife's thought.

"The higher-ranking members from the Elder Council, yes!" he affirmed. "Members like Emeritus and others heading our Council," he finished solemnly.

Piper took in a deep breath of air and let it back out. Then, she shifted her gaze to the side of her husband.

"So. Where does this leave us?" she questioned, although the answer almost appeared quite obvious. "Although, allow me to point out that this couldn't have come at a worse time with the Triad coming after us again," she cracked.

"I know," he admitted. "I'm sorry about that. But we're lucky to be getting the hearing at all," Leo pointed out. "In fact, if it hadn't been for Coop and his quick thinking, we may not have. At least this way, Andy has a shot."

Piper shook her head. "Yeah," she relented. "Well, who are they?" she inquired. "This Afterlife Council?"

"Basically, they maintain order and oversee soul placement within the immortal or mortal realm," explained Leo. "And that includes, keeping watch over us Elders and our affairs."

"Jeez! Well, they've sure done a great job taking care of that over the last five years or so, haven't they?" Piper huffed, in her typical, sarcastic wit.

She couldn't help it. In light of everything that had come to pass, it seemed almost surreal that the Elders were actually held accountable to anyone for their actions. At least, this was the first time she ever heard of that being true.

Leo flashed her another sympathetic smile. He reached out for her and pulled her into an embrace. "Don't worry," he tried offering reassurance. "We'll get through this together."

Piper accepted the hug and pulled back. "Well, we better!" she smiled back. "I haven't spent all this time and energy for nothing just so I would miss the opportunity to kick butt at _Scrabble_ in fifty years," she joked. "And like I said before, I'm pretty sure I'll be winning!" she reminded him.

"Oh right!" Leo cracked back, dramatically nodding his head. "So, have you figured out yet whether _Zankou_ is spelled with that _Z _or with that _X_?" he laughed, earning a playful swat from his wife in the process.

"Nah, this time I'm thinking about going with _E_ for Evil Elder!" she shot back, all in good fun. Then their smiles slowly faded as their serious expressions returned.

Leo sighed. "So, you coming to bed?" he inquired.

"Uh, give me a minute, okay?" Piper answered him. "There's something I need to do first."

"Okay," Leo replied.

He smiled at her while bending down to kiss her cheek. Before walking past her, he rubbed her arm in a comforting manner and then headed in the direction of their bedroom. She watched until his form retreated around the corner and then she sighed.

_There's only one other place she can be, _Piper thought. _The Attic! _

**ooooo**

At the sound of the door clicking, Phoebe bolted up from the couch, surrounded by the pitch darkness. It had to be well after midnight. Quickly, she reached over for the small, antique lamp positioned on the stand and switched it on. The sudden flash of light thrown at her retinas caused momentary blindness, until her eyes adjusted. She flinched at the sight of the man who had just awoken her from her slumber.

"Coop?" Phoebe called out in a muffled tone. "Where have you been, it's late?"

She pulled herself off of the couch into a sitting position as Coop slowly made his way over to sit down beside her. She began to fiddle with the engagement ring that sat upon her finger.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," he whispered back. "Your sister's alright, I hope?"

"Prue?" Phoebe asked, still feeling somewhat disconnected from the conversation as her mind tried to catch up with being awake. "Yeah, she's fine," she confirmed, nodding her head. "But, when did you and Leo get back? Just now?"

Coop looked down to the floor. "Um, a little while ago," he answered. "We, uh, met with the Afterlife Council. They're going to hold a hearing about what the Elders did. And, to decide what to do about your sister's husband," he finished explaining.

"Oh, well, good!," Phoebe exclaimed. "It's about time somebody did something!" she argued. Then, she yawned and stretched her limbs above her head. "Andy shouldn't have to pay for what they did."

Phoebe, now feeling more alert, turned to look at her future husband only to catch a far off look in his eyes as he remained silent, staring at the wall ahead of him.

"Hey," she called out to him. She reached out her hand and gently placed it on his arm to grab his attention. "Is something else the matter?" she questioned.

Coop quickly turned to look at her. "No, I'm fine!" he desperately tried to reassure her. "Why?"

"Well, you looked kind of distracted there for a moment," Phoebe pointed out. "Like something else was on your mind," she clarified. "Whatever it is, you know you can tell me?"

Coop laughed, covering up the moment. "Phoebe! Don't be ridiculous," he replied. "There's nothing wrong," he denied. "I'm just tired that's all," he concluded, while closing his eyes and using his fingers to rub the bridge of his nose. "Anyway, we can talk more about all this in the morning," he suggested, trying to make a hasty exit to the bedroom.

Phoebe stood up with him, intent on following him to the bedroom. But that was until he interrupted her.

"Uh, not to sound like a prude or anything but would you mind if I just got some sleep by myself tonight?" he interjected. "I can take the couch if you want and you can have the room, that's not a problem," he insisted.

Phoebe threw him a glare, completely thrown off by his request. "Uh ... sure, but what's wrong with sharing the room?" she finally asked. "We do it every other night without a problem," she insisted, shaking her head in confusion. "I promise not to disturb your precious sleep," she threw out, feeling some slight irritation.

And it was because she had been right. She had sensed something else was wrong but he was refusing to be honest with her about it. Her empathetic pull towards people made it virtually impossible for them to get away with lying to her about how they really felt. And this was definitely one of those moments. That was the downside about her gift of empathy because sometimes it seemed like it was better not to know. Just to be able to avoid arguments.

"Phoebe, please don't turn this into something it's not, okay?" Coop pleaded, while shaking his head. "I'm just exhausted and need some time to think about how Leo and I are going to handle the Council," he covered up. "That's all. I said we could talk more later!" Then, he bent over and kissed her on the cheek.

Phoebe threw herself back down onto the couch. "Fine. Goodnight!" she spat. Then, she sprawled herself back out on the couch, turning her back so it deliberately faced him.

Coop sighed and slightly rolled his eyes in response. "Night," he offered.

Then, he made his way for the bedroom. He turned back around just as Phoebe flicked off the light, darkness once again enveloping the entire living room area. After he entered the room, he closed the door and leaned back against it. While letting out a deep sigh, he reached his hand around to his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of newspaper. As he slowly unfolded it, the headliner came clearly into focus. Coop stared at the content and read ...

**The Los Angeles Times... May 20, 1986...**

_**Woman's Mutilated Body Found Discarded On Railroad Tracks: Missing Baby Presumed Dead! **_

**ooooo **

Lana continued to listen in on the events unfolding.

Somehow, Gideon had gotten to Billie but managed to keep her out of the loop. Her apparent exclusion from the Triad's plans was beginning to draw on her insecurities. These hidden insecurities were buried feelings that she had worked hard to suppress and keep buried deep inside of her over the years ...

_"Well, well!" Gideon mocked, as he took in the sight of Billie before him. "I must say that it's a pleasure to finally meet you. Although, I must admit that I thought you'd prove to be much more of a challenge in getting ahold of," he sneered. "But, apparently not!" Then, he proceeded to laugh._

_"Go to hell!" Billie declared in complete defiance. She looked between the Triad members and back to the darklighter one more time._

_"We already are!" the THIRD Triad member spat back at her, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And you'll be staying here with us!"_

_Billie ignored the comment and looked straight into the eyes of the man before her. "Who the hell are you?" she asked quite boldly. "And what do you want from me?" _

_Gideon chose not to answer her questions right away. Instead, he turned his attention back to the darklighter and addressed him. _

_"Well done," he smirked, congratulating him on successfully completing his task. "That's one down. Three more to go," he sneered, while he made reference to Wyatt, Chris, and Molly. At this point, they were the only other existing members of the Twice Blessed Generation._

_Billie immediately put the pieces together. Three more to go? That couldn't be the sisters. They totaled four. No, he had to be talking about Wyatt and Chris. And Molly, her little sister. As the eldest put in place of leading the next generation, she took immediate steps forward and protested adamantly. _

_"No! Leave them alone!" she declared with a touch of protectiveness in the mix. _

_However, in the same instant she stepped forward, the darklighter pulled an arrow out from the sling behind his back. He stepped up behind her, grabbed her, and placed the tip of the arrow just underneath her chin. When she moved, she felt the pressure made by the sharp point that was a mere prick away from piercing her skin._

Lana caught sight of the man grasping Billie from behind. _So, Gideon recruited a darklighter in place of me, _she thought very bitterly. And there it was again, she reprimanded. It was times like these were she could clearly feel the sting of rejection or crave the need for acceptance until her inner being did battle to beat it out of her.

_Gideon watched on. _

_"Ah, yes," he mocked. "You may want to reconsider you're next move carefully. Considering your mother's own near death experience with our pointy friend there," he cracked, referring to the arrow. "I have a pretty good feeling there won't be a PG-rated ending this time!" _

_Then, Gideon smirked before continuing on. _

_"Sorry, but I don't see Auntie Paige or Uncle Leo orbing in to the rescue," he sneered while dramatically gesturing his body around to make the point._

_"Now why would they do that when they can just vanquish your sorry ass back into oblivion where it belongs," she challenged him through clenched teeth. _

_The darklighter used his free hand to pull her hair back. "Shut-up, witch!" he scowled._

_"Ouch!" Billie let loose, upon feeling her hair and head tugged back._

_However, the other Triad members quickly grew bored and impatient with the scene playing out before them as one of them opted to speak out._

_"Enough of this nonsense!" the SECOND Triad bellowed. "She's not worth the trouble she's putting out. Get rid of her now and be done with this!" he demanded._

_Gideon put his hand up to signal them. "Wait!" he announced. "Not yet. We need her to lure the Charmed Ones here. Then, we unleash the Box on her and the others," he affirmed._

_"Gideon," the FIRST Triad addressed him. "Use the box and be done with her. We can still bring the others here with or without her around. Eventually, they'll come to learn that she's missing. Which in turn, will lead them straight to us."_

Through an odd twist of fate, Lana actually felt a tugging sense of admiration aimed at the other young woman preparing to meet her doom. Billie stood her ground, even in the face of uncertainty, not willing to back down. Well, that, and part of Lana received some retributive, satisfaction that somebody attempted to put Gideon in his place.

During the entire time Lana had spent with her earlier in the year, part of her training had involved viewing Billie as nothing more than ammunition. Ammunition that was to be used in bringing down the Charmed Ones.The sole purpose of her role had been to take the place of her mortal sister and to break Billie down systematically until she was their weapon for the taking.

However, during this time, there were these small, inconsequential moments when her role collided with those buried feelings of humanity. True enough, Billie wasn't her sister. And the Jenkin's hadn't been her real parents. But some inner part of her sought it out, embraced the idea, and willed for it to be based in truth. And, worst of all, the Triad had sensed it too.

Dumain had taught her from a very young age the importance of suppressing her human side. It was a lesson he had indoctrinated to the best of his ability. As a result, Lana had worked extra hard to construct an emotional wall, one she made sure Dumain could never read through because she knew her survival in the Underworld depended on it. _Human emotions are a weakness_, he had admonished. _Never let them ensnare you! _However, that admonishment hadn't necessarily prevented human emotion from rising up to the surface every now and then. Like now ...

_Silently, Gideon turned around and walked in the direction of the hidden box and stones. With a wave of his hand, the hole in the ground unsealed itself revealing both items. He bent down and picked them up. _

_"Actually, I have a better idea for the time being," he announced. _

_Then, he walked back towards Billie and the darklighter. Gideon proceeded to place the stones in a circle in front of Billie, while one stone remained in his hand. _

_"Since we don't want to take any unnecessary risks by opening the box more than once," he continued, "I'll use the Stones to keep her immobilized. This way, it'll buy us the time we need until we can gather the others with her," he concluded._

_Billie looked around in desperation, searching for some possible source of escape. I have to find a way out of here, she pleaded. Finally, the situation was beginning to settle in. So this was Gideon? The same Gideon who use to be an Elder and claimed to be a protector of the greater good? The same man responsible for all the troubles associated with her new-found family? It had to be him. She had heard the story. And from the bits and pieces of information, he appeared to fit the description. But how the hell does one even go from being an Elder to being a part of the Triad, she speculated. Especially when he's suppose to be dead._

_"No!" she hollered, as the darklighter pulled the arrow back and used his hand to shove her inside the circle. _

_She fell to the ground but immediately began to feel a strange energy coursing throughout her body. The tingling continued to grow in intensity as it created a numbing effect. Soon, she realized she was beginning to loose sensation within her whole body. Billie rolled onto her back and struggled to move but she couldn't._

_The darklighter released an evil grin and an insidious laugh. _

_"I'll be sure to give JD your best," he taunted her one last time while hovering from above. Then, he vanished from sight as he backed up and away from her._

As the darklighter approached the exit, Lana swiftly swayed behind the rock to shield herself from his sight. However, in the process, her arm slammed against the loose gravel on the rock wall sending scattered pieces flying to the ground floor. Immediately, the darklighter was alerted to the sound and he stopped. A questioning glare graced his features and he arched his suspicious brow while slowly resuming his steps in the direction of the exit. He remained alert for anymore impending signs of a possible intruder.

Quickly, Lana shimmered out of sight as the darklighter made his way around the corner. He took a moment to take in the surroundings and upon finding no one there, he orbed out from the Underworld. Then, Lana allowed herself to reappear. She took the opportunity to take one last look at Billie lying paralyzed on the dirt ground. Gideon was using the Vicarian Stones to keep her imprisoned there. She contemplated her next move before leaving and decided she would be back.

_Billie lay flat on her back, unable to move her body one way or the other. Her eyes moved back and forth, in place, as she contemplated a way out of this whole mess._

_Damn, she cursed to herself. She had been thrown right into a trap. Now, what was she suppose to do? She sighed wearily as all hope began to dim. Let's face it, Billie, you're totally screwed this time! That was her final thought. _

**ooooo**

With the steps creaking beneath her feet, she slowly made her way up to the closed attic door.

Inside the attic, Prue sat curled up on the couch with a blanket draped over her. Molly could be seen with her, stretched out over her mother, her small head resting in Prue's lap. At the same time, Prue used the arm of the couch to support the Book of Shadows while she slowly flipped through its content, page by page, absorbing each piece of information. Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, she quickly shifted her gaze to locate the source of the intrusion.

Piper drifted into the attic and met her sister's stare. "Hey," she whispered, after taking notice that Prue was not alone. Molly was fast asleep on the couch with her.

"Hey," Prue offered back while resting her head back against her hand, the same hand supported by her elbow on the top of the couch. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail with pieces of fly-away hair falling loosely around her face. She returned her attention back to the Book.

Piper sighed. "Couldn't sleep," she admitted, trying to find a way to break the ice with her sister. Prue smirked in return.

"Yeah, me neither," Prue agreed. Slowly, Prue shifted her position on the couch and gently lifted Molly over to the other side to make room for her sister to sit down.

"Oh, no, it's alright," Piper tried to protest not wanting to wake her niece. "Don't wake her up."

"No, it's fine. There's plenty of room," Prue insisted.

Piper made her way to the couch and sat down beside her sister. Prue sat wedged in the middle, with her daughter sleeping to the left side of her. The Book of Shadows was sprawled open on her lap. Prue took a moment to stare at the peaceful, sleeping form of Molly.

"Sometimes it's hard to believe I'm even here with her now," Prue reflected. "She was gone for so long that it seems so surreal," she continued. "But then when I look at her, it feels like she never left at all."

Piper watched her sister as she spoke. Finally, she took a deep breath and responded.

"Well, it's probably only natural to feel that way. Especially when it's your own child. I know when Leo and I thought we were going to lose Wyatt to evil, it felt surreal for us too. I mean, one minute we're looking at this sweet, innocent little boy and the next thing we know his future self poses a threat to everything we've worked so hard to protect."

Prue listened and caught the distant gleam in her sister's eyes while she relayed the story. This was obviously a sensitive subject for her, so Prue tread-ed lightly.

"Wyatt," she muttered. "He's going to be okay now, though. Right?" she asked, displaying sisterly concern.

"Well, yeah, now," Piper sighed. "But only because alot has been sacrificed to make it happen," she stressed, thinking of the sacrifice her son, future Chris, made with his life. "I mean, constant battles against the Underworld, clashes we had with the greater good, visitations from the future. The list goes on," she listed off to her sister with dramatic nods of her head. "Even some loss of life. It hasn't been easy."

Piper quickly took a moment to contemplate whether that other version of Chris had known the truth about Prue and their new power in his future.

Prue smiled sadly, while turning her head and shifting her stare towards the floor. "And then there's me," she stated with a touch of remorse. "Because I was the oldest, I was suppose to always be there." Then, she paused for a moment before continuing on. "But instead of sticking by my sisters and being there through all the hard times, I ran like a coward. Right?" She turned back to her sister seeking her confirmation.

It wasn't an accusation. And there wasn't any yelling. It was a simple statement based on intuition, a desperate need to reach the truth so that it could be acknowledged, dealt with, and perhaps, one day they could reach beyond the impasse. Piper simply responded by shutting her eyes and shaking her head.

"Prue," she pleaded, not wanting to delve into that buried part of their past during this precise moment.

Piper's aim at coming up here was to try and extend a small peace offering so that they could at least begin working together as the _Ultimate Power _to defeat the Triad. Then, she figured she and Prue could hash out whatever else they needed to once the immediate threat from their future was removed. However, here was her sister about to push to issue.

"But you were thinking it?" Prue pushed. The tone of her voice was a mixture of sadness and regret; therefore, it didn't serve to make Piper feel defensive or upset. "You can say it," she continued. "I think it's fairly obvious by now why you've been so angry with me."

Piper took a second to think about what she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it. Yes, the truth was that it bothered her very much that the sister she depended on for her entire life just up and walked out of their lives. They were left to fend for themselves while she was free and clear from worrying about demons on a daily basis. Although, apparently, that was a misguided feeling because somehow the Underworld got to Molly. Which meant, somehow, they found Prue.

However, putting those facts to the side, these feelings she had actually went much deeper than that. Sure, they had initially originated out of a place of anger causing her to lash out with logic-based sentiment. But now? That empty hole that once housed all that anger now felt like a melting pot of hurt.

"Look, Prue," she began in an even tone. "I didn't come up here to start another fight with you. And honestly," she paused, sighed, and then continued. "At this point, I'm more hurt and confused by what you did. Yeah, I was more angry at first, but it's not even really about all the demon fighting or being the Charmed Ones. In the beginning, it was easier to hide behind all that but that's not all of it. At least, not if I want to be completely honest with myself. Paige, Phoebe, and I were able to pick up the slack with all that," she added.

Prue listened without responding. Then, gathering enough courage, Piper turned to face her sister head on. However, while her tone carried an edge of firmness, it remained calm.

"But how could you just leave like that without telling us? Do you have any idea what you put us through by allowing us to believe you had died?" she confronted Prue. "We all grew up together knowing what it felt like to be without Mom. And to have Dad walk out on us. We were even together when we lost Grams. So how could you let us live with that pain? You, Phoebe, and I were suppose to be a team but you didn't even trust us to handle the truth. Or to help you with it."

Prue thought hard. How was she suppose to answer those questions? Everything her sister just expressed made perfect sense to her. Piper had argued very legitimate points and if the situation had been reversed Prue couldn't claim that she wouldn't feel the same way. In fact, she was pretty sure she would.

However, Prue sought to be as truthful as she could based on what she remembered feeling at the time. So, how does one explain that the mind and heart don't always see reason when it comes to protecting someone you love, she wondered. When desperation is a factor, logic is irrelevant. But given the unfortunate set of circumstances that involved her newly discovered nephew, Prue hoped Piper would be able to at least reach a small place of understanding.

"Piper," she began. "I'm not going to try and justify hurting you. But let me ask you something," she proceeded with caution. "When Wyatt was in trouble, did you think everything through or did you act on what your heart told you to do? And I mean, regardless of the other consequences. If you could have done something right in the moment to save him, without jumping through all the hoops you had to, would you have taken the opportunity?"

Prue kept looking at her sister waiting for an answer.

Piper wanted to argue with how Prue had answered her questions but she found that she had trouble doing it. Because, yeah, the answer was she would have gone through any means necessary to save her son. And they had. She could even relate the situation to Leo. Last year she had been so desperate to save her husband's life that no avenue was off limits to her. At certain points, her determination had led them to butt heads with the Angels of Death and Destiny, the Elders, and even the Avatars. So, did that make her just as selfish as Prue? Because at one point, Billie had even thrown that accusation in her face. Granted, Billie was on her own desperate mission to save her sister at the time, but was there some truth to it? It made her think.

"I won't lie," Piper decided to admit. "I would do whatever it took to keep my children safe. And the same thing goes for Leo or for one of you guys," she added, referring to her sisters.

Prue jumped in. "Because that's what I did," she explained. "And right or wrong, I was desperate enough to do it if it meant keeping you or Phoebe alive."

Piper sighed wearily and shut her eyes. "But, Prue," she attempted to argue. "I would have kept you involved with the decision. You would have known something," she stressed. "I wouldn't have blind-sided you or kept you in the dark knowing full well how it would effect your life."

"Okay, but what if you didn't have that chance?" Prue argued back. "To tell anybody? What if you had to take that opportunity and run with it, hoping that everything turned out for the best?" she countered.

Piper acknowledged what Prue was referring to because she had witnessed the previous arrangement between Prue and the Elders play out before her. And, in truth, there were some elements of truth to what her sister argued.

Gideon had put Prue on the spot and forced her to make a decision. A decision made without her sisters knowledge or input regarding the situation. Of course, no doubt, Gideon had carefully executed this plan to further his own agenda and he had used skillful manipulation, convenient timing, and isolation to accomplish it. While playing on her vulnerabilities, he had managed to back Prue into a corner. And her freedom had been bought at an expensive price. She could either choose her own life or the lives of her sisters.

A part of the decision had come from a selfless place and Piper was willing to acknowledge it. Because Prue had willingly vacated her place within the Power of Three, Paige had been allowed to keep her life and was given the opportunity to know her sisters. At the time, Prue had no emotional ties to Paige. Therefore, when it came to the young woman in question, there had been nothing to stop her from telling Gideon to go straight to hell. Sadly, the end result could have been, no Paige. And Piper had a hard time wrapping her mind around that reality too. So, in retrospect, there appeared to be no right answer to the dilemma Prue had found herself in.

"Prue?" Piper addressed her sister. "There weren't any real winners in this situation. And I think that's something we can both agree on. So do you think that maybe we can try and leave it there for now?" she offered.

It was a far cry from a reconciliation. However, it was a serious attempt at beginning a truce that could possibly lead them there one day. After all, the one understanding both sisters reached during this moment was that everything wasn't as black and white as it had once seemed from their individual perspectives. Arguing back and forth about whose actions were or weren't justified was not going to get them anywhere except creating a bigger divide. And feeling more resentful towards the other.

Prue released a tentative smile, understanding her sister's unspoken motivation. "Sure," she agreed.

"Good!" announced Piper, in a playful tone. "Now, what'cha reading?" she asked her sister, averting her eyes in the direction of the Book of Shadows. As Piper's eyes scanned the outskirts of the opened page, she took notice of the demonic drawing that featured _his _traditional red and black coloring. Balthazar. "Oh," she muttered.

Prue cast her eyes back on the page. Gently, she ran her fingers over the drawing. "Cole," she muttered under her breath. However, Piper still heard it.

"You remember?" she questioned Prue.

"I think so," Prue answered. "Phoebe loved him," she blurted out. "But, he was sent by the Triad to destroy us. And he almost did. Phoebe wanted to save him ... " she continued on as the missing pieces just kept coming one after the other.

"Yeah, well, in the end their love wasn't enough to save him," Piper finished the tale for her. Then, with an amused grin, she continued on. "And I swear, you and Paige must have like the same sixth sense or something," she reflected. "Because, from the beginning, she didn't trust him either. And she had been right, just like you."

"Hey, I gave him a chance in the end!" she quickly objected.

"Believe me," Piper stressed. "Be glad you weren't here for the end! It almost destroyed us." Then she sighed. "It had to be one of the worst times I felt like one of the biggest failures. I just couldn't keep Phoebe safe. After losing you, losing Phoebe too would have been unbearable. And Cole tried, he really did, but we just didn't know."

"Know what?" Prue pressed on.

"That when Cole vanquished the Source he would become him," Piper explained. "After they married, Phoebe followed him into the Underworld so she could be by his side. We thought the Power of Three was finished for good, along with us. Paige, uh, she didn't want to give up on her though," she reflected with a sad smile. "She's really come through for us in many ways so we're lucky to have her with us. And, Phoebe came back around too, thank god!"

"So. Cole didn't make it, then, huh?" confirmed Prue.

Piper thought about how she should best answer that question. She took a deep breath and looked up at the attic ceiling before bringing her gaze back down.

"Uh, well, not in the way Phoebe would have liked," she settled on with a sigh. "When it came to moving on from him, it was difficult for her. But, she's happy now and deserves it. She met Coop and they'll be getting married soon."

"Sorry," Prue mumbled. "Poor Pheebs," she reflected sadly, regretting that she hadn't been there during some of the more difficult times.

"Nah, don't bother beating yourself up about it, Prue," Piper offered some reassurance. She looked down and fiddled with her fingers. "The truth is," she continued, "it wouldn't have made much difference whether you had been here or not. Some of the circumstances we encountered were just unavoidable, you couldn't have stopped them anymore than we could have. Be thankful you were spared the pain of having to endure it with us."

"Maybe," mumbled Prue, sounding unconvinced. A part of her still felt the guilt, like it had been her duty to be there.

"Besides," Piper added, trying to sound a bit more upbeat. "You'd be really proud of her now. Phoebe has really grown up since our days together. I mean, she's been holding a successful job and she's serious about being a witch. And as much as I hated it," she stressed, "she has her apartment now and she's really holding her own."

Prue remained silent. So, life had gone on without her and she was starting to feel the sting of what it had cost her. Where there once existed a bond so strong, that bond had been severed by a five year gap. Not only were her memories returning, but there was also an awareness settling in that her sisters were, in a sense, like strangers to her. Their lives had moved on as well, they had grown, changed, and matured into new people. It was going to take some time to adjust to this new life, to feel comfortable and familiar with everyone again. And in Paige's case, she was starting from scratch. Not to mention, there was Billie. A daughter she held no memories of having. In all honesty, she felt completely lost on how to even begin there.

Prue looked back at her sister before proceeding with her next question.

"So," she began. "What exactly is the story with Paige?" she inquired. "Mom must have had her shortly before she died but I'm having a hard time remembering any of the details." She looked to her sister to help fill in the missing blanks.

"Well," Piper sighed. "Do you remember Sam? Mom's whitelighter?" she asked. Prue's contemplative expression told Piper she was searching for the memory. "Well, even if you don't," she jumped back in, "we all met him once down by the lake where mom died. You, me, and Phoebe. He helped us vanquish the water demon that killed her. Anyway, he's Paige's father."

"Oh!" Prue replied, a bit surprised. "So they gave her away?" she questioned.

"Yeah, because they had to hide her and keep her a secret, Prue," explained Piper. "It was a forbidden union until the Elders finally made the exception between me and Leo! But, after you, they allowed her to reconstitute the Power of Three."

Suddenly, both sisters were broken from their discussion and their attention was snagged by the sound of another pair of approaching footsteps. As they turned to look, they caught sight of another sister walking in to join them. A third sister full of energy and one who just couldn't sleep either.

Paige.

**ooooo **

It was late. The dark, night sky was visible to those looking up at the many stars on the horizon and the one bright moon hanging in the distance.

Sam stood near the dock alone, pacing back and forth, waiting for the appearance of the one woman he would always come for no matter how late she called. Patty had summoned him to meet her here. Although, of all places, he didn't quite grasp why it had to be at the lake. However, given the nature of the discussion he had with his daughter earlier, he was pretty sure he knew what this meeting was going to be about. Prue.

As he faced the water, he felt the familiar breeze and the tingling sensation that signaled her presence. When he turned, Sam came face to face with the sight of Patty materializing from her ethereal form into a physical manifestation.

"Patty," he addressed her.

Patty Halliwell smiled in return. "Sam! It's good to see you again," she announced. She stepped forward and Sam opened his arms as they shared a gentle embrace filled with alot of pent up emotion.

"I know," Sam answered back. He closed his eyes and swayed with her before pulling back. "But I really wish you hadn't spent all that time trying to avoid me," he added. "Especially, since now, I know what it's all been about."

Patty meet with his eyes, a touch of regret filling hers. She closed her eyes and shook her head while she went ahead and responded to him.

"I'm sorry," she offered. "It really wasn't fair to keep you in the dark. But I just panicked, so I went along with what the Elders wanted. I was scared. For Prue and Paige. Not to mention, what might have happened to either Piper or Phoebe."

Sam released a smile of understanding. "Patty, it's okay, I really wasn't looking for an apology. I went through it with you, remember? I've known all along exactly what the Elders have been capable of. Besides, I'm just as guilty as you are when it comes down to it! We both agreed to keep Prue a secret," he concluded.

A silent moment ensued between the two of them. The only sound in the distance came from the night crickets. Finally, Sam took it upon himself to speak again.

"But, I got to tell ya," he admitted. "Paige practically came out and asked me for the truth about it and I felt pretty crappy keeping it from her!"

"I know," Patty sighed. "I had a talk with Paige earlier. I already told her the truth," she volunteered.

"But?" Sam pressed, picking up there was more she wanted to add.

"But it's not enough," Patty continued. "We need to tell Prue and the girls the truth. And it's not fair to put it on Paige, so, it has to come from us, Sam," she finished.

Sam took a deep breath and looked to the ground. Then, his look met back with Patty's. "I agree," he relented. "No more lies. It's not fair to anyone, we probably should have come clean awhile ago. Maybe some of this mess could have been avoided."

Patty and Sam both reached forward for the second time and they slipped back into each other's arms.

**ooooo**

"Okay, I heard my name!" Paige burst out, in jovial tune. "And, please let me say," she continued on with her banter. "I'm honored you guys love me enough to make me the center of your universe but it is customary for the guest of honor to be present during the discussion."

She took long, deliberate strides until she stood face to face with her sisters, both sitting on the couch in front of her. Then, she plopped on the attic floor with a hot cup of steaming coffee in hand. Paige's bubbly personality was like a breath of fresh air and Piper couldn't help but smile in amusement. Even Prue released a small smile. It helped to relieve some of the seriousness and provide a light-hearted, sisterly moment for everyone in the room. The only one missing from the picture? Phoebe.

"So. What were we talking about?" Paige commented, taking a sip of her coffee. She looked to Prue and Piper to fill her in.

Piper laughed. "Okay, Paige?" she cracked. "Maybe the caffeine isn't such a good idea?" she stressed, poking fun at her sister's already hyper state.

Paige slanted her eyes and gave a playful glare before responding.

"Aah," she responded with a wave of her hand in the air to brush it off. "I couldn't sleep anyway. I slept for a little bit but that's all. And I was just to beat to go home earlier so I told Henry I'd just spend the night here in Billie's room. Besides, it looks like I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep."

Piper and Paige both watched as Prue tensed up at the mention of Billie's name.

_Oops, s__o much for keeping things on the light side. Maybe she's not ready to talk about that yet? _

Paige attempted to change to subject by suddenly snapping her fingers together to grab her sisters' attention.

"Hey, awesome idea," she blurted. "Crossed my mind earlier!"

"Uh-oh!" Piper teased, glancing back at Prue. "And what awesome idea would that be?"

"Shopping!" Paige squealed, clapping her hands together. "I thought the four of us could hit the stores, maybe do a little shopping, talk, have lunch, you know? Get acquainted or reacquainted with each other. Besides, Prue's going to need some things until she settles in. And there's Molly; plus, both of you have the babies coming so you never can start too early ... "

Paige was suddenly cut off by Piper.

"Hold it!" she announced, putting her hands up in the air. She knew exactly what direction the shop talk was heading in. Then, she laughed. "Sorry, but I feel it's my duty to step up and warn you not to do it, Prue!" she joked. "Do not let them lead you down into the Maternity Ward Abyss, trust me," she cracked, making reference to the horrible wardrobe she had been forced to endure while pregnant with Wyatt.

Prue smiled and listened in amusement to Paige's rebuttal.

"Hey, I positively resent that!" Paige shot back. "Don't listen to her, Prue, Pheebs and I have style. We'll know just what to pick for ya," she added with extra-added emphasis and a wink of the eye.

"Yeah, Prue, listen to her!" Piper mocked. "If you want to walk around looking like a branded, pink elephant for the next nine months or so, why not?" she laughed. "I pass!"

"Aw. You looked cute!" Paige retorted, with a mocking pout of her lips.

"Cute?" Piper mimicked. "Who wants to look cute when they're bloated out to here," she gestured with her arms out in front of her belly. "And can barely walk without their feet swelling out to there. You just wait."

"Amen!" Prue smirked. Being the only other sister to have experienced the whole upside and downside of pregnancy, she could absolutely relate to that.

"Trust me, comfortable is the only way to go," Piper concluded.

"Whimps!" Paige protested in good stride. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

All three women shared a laugh together before Prue jumped in to protest. The moment presented some fun to joke around; however, seriously, the last thing she wanted was to become her sisters' charity case.

"Look," she broke in. "I appreciate the offer and everything but forget it!" she declined. "There's no way I'm letting you shop for me. I plan on getting a job and taking care of everything, so don't worry. Molly and I'll will be fine," she insisted.

Piper and Paige turned to look at Prue, questioning looks upon their faces.

"Well that's fine, Prue, but you still need something to start with?" Piper protested. "So does Molly. It's just until you get yourself on your feet. Don't make a big deal out of it!"

"Yeah, besides, we don't mind at all," Paige added. "And don't waste your time being stubborn about it, because we're just going to do it anyway," she insisted in a sing-song voice and a determined nod of her head.

"Who, Prue, stubborn?" Piper cracked, smiling at Paige who in turn smiled back at the sisterly banter set back in motion.

Prue smiled, closed her eyes, and began shaking her head in protest. "Okay, stop, I'm not that bad," she rebutted against her sister's insinuation. She looked between her two sisters, who appeared to want to laugh at her expense. "I'm not!" she protested one last time.

Piper laughed and Prue reached out to swat her.

"Okay, okay!" Piper relented. "She's not really that bad," she turned to address Paige. But, she could barely keep a straight face while the words passed her mouth. "Okay, who I am kidding," she finally broke. "She is, too, that bad!" she laughed, causing Paige to laugh along with her.

As the butt of the joke, Prue just smirked and continuing shaking her head in denial. However, for the first time, all three women were pulled from their bantering after noticing they had gotten a little too loud when Molly began to stir in her sleep. Instantly, Prue brought her finger up to her mouth as she reached over to drape the blanket back over her daughter. While squirming, she had managed to kick it off but had settled back into the same peaceful slumber that she had been immersed in moments ago.

Prue bent down to kiss Molly on her cheek while her two sisters watched on.

_Maybe she would accept that shopping spree after all?_

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Okay, I decided to end this chapter on a lighter note instead of the usual cliffhanger. This story is mostly drama-based but it's good to stick the light moments in there once and awhile which I will continue to try and do. Also, I'm going to try and stick with posting one, new chapter a week until I finish it because of my hectic schedule. It's just alot of work brainstorming, writing, organizing, and editing before posting the final product. And I'd rather have it right opposed to just throwing something out there every few days. So, I appreciate all of you sticking by the story and thanks for your patience. **Stay tuned ... :o) **


	23. Reminiscent

**:o) **Hi Everyone. Sorry, I know this chapter is late but I encountered a serious case of writer's block. I have a general outline on where I'm going with the story but sometimes I have difficulty with the connective chapters that are getting me there. But, once again, thanks for waiting and thanks to all my reviewers from the last chapter: **I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts**, **1treehillcharmed**, **charmedgirl-alyssaphoebe**, **Farah A**, and **Jedi Alanna**.

**I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts: **glad that you liked the sister moment. I've been trying to incorporate some one-on-one time with each sister until they gradually re-integrate as a group.

**1treehillcharmed: **lol, another Piper freak-out? Hm, we'll see. I'm trying to bring her character back around but you are right in the sense that she won't be happy about the lying. At least this time, her issues won't be directed towards Prue. Or one of her other sisters for that matter. **;o) **

**charmedgirl: **yup, Coop's hidden past is actually connected to the next big reveal. But, I'm not going to tell you what that is so you'll just have to wait and see! **;o) lol...**

**Farah A: **Welcome on-board. It's never too late, lol, so I hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the story as it unfolds.

**Jedi: lol, **no worries about the digression. I actually don't mind discussing it a bit if it helps to clear up some confusion connected to the story. Yeah, about Paige though? The red hair isn't natural. She came on the show in season 4 with black/raven-colored hair and dyed it at the beginning of season 5. If I'm not mistaken, Paige makes reference to changing her color with a potion that went wrong? Anyway, it stayed red (I guess there was a hint of blonde highlights but it looked more red to me) until somewhere in season 6 and then it went back to her natural, dark color. Although, I never recall it being a light brown, it always hinged on a raven color to a real, dark or medium brown. Therefore, anyway, for the purposes of my story the black/raven color she showed up with during season 4 is her natural color because my story picks up after season 8 when she had her natural, dark coloring back. Hope that clears it up for everyone, **lol.**

Also, about Billie? It's not unusual that the sisters don't know she's missing yet because it just happened that night. Paige is her whitelighter but Billie didn't call out for her help. Part of that stubborn quality she gets from Prue, lol, about being able to handle things on her own? But, despite that fact, she's in the Underworld anyway so Paige can't sense her there. They'd have to scry and go looking for her. Plus, don't forget Billie moved out of the manor and back to her dorm full-time because she wanted her own space to work through her issues regarding who she is. The sisters already know that; therefore, they wouldn't necessary jump to the conclusion that something was wrong with Billie just because they don't hear from her right away.

But, never fear, Billie will find a way out of her predicament. Although, it may come in an unexpected way. **;o)**

**Now, on with our story lol ...**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Reminiscent**

Phoebe sat in the booth beside Prue, while Piper and Paige sat directly across from them engaging in some light discussion. After a day of shopping together, the four sisters sat together inside the small restaurant waiting for their food to be served. This particular day had been planned out a couple days ago at Paige's behest but, in truth, Phoebe's heart just wasn't in it. While she sat at the table, her drink before her, she used her straw to create a swirl inside her soda as her mind kept drifting to the small argument she had with Coop two days ago ...

**(Flashback ... Two days ago ... Phoebe's apartment) **

_"Coop, don't get mad!" exclaimed Phoebe, with her hands against her chest, her body language appearing defensive. "I'm not accusing you of anything. All I'm saying is that last night I picked up on more than you were telling me," she elaborated, referring to her gift of empathy._

_"That's the same thing as calling me a liar," countered Coop. "I told you nothing was wrong! So, why can't you just believe me?"_

_"Because I don't believe you!" Phoebe spat back, her frustration taking its toll._

_Coop turned his back on her, leaving the bedroom and Phoebe behind. As he left, he slammed the door behind him. Phoebe took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and shook her head before relenting to go after him._

_"Coop, wait ..." she called out but it was too late. By the time she made it out of the bedroom, Coop had already disappeared. "Great," she had muttered upon turning around, re-entering the bedroom with the sound of the door slamming for the second time._

**(Memory Flashback Ends) **

It was shortly after their falling out that Paige had called Phoebe to ask her to spend a day together, just the four of them. Phoebe had agreed to it over the phone but that was before Coop had decided to avoid her for two days. She hadn't heard from him since he walked out that day and, now, her thoughts were consumed with worry regarding the current state of their relationship. She felt guilty because this day was planned and intended to be an opportunity for the four of them to start bonding as sisters; yet, she hadn't really put any effort into it! And, she had really wanted to, at least for Prue's sake.

"Phoebe, are you okay?" asked Piper, who was staring across the table at her sister, a look of concern gracing her face. Her sister seemed preoccupied for most of the day and it hadn't gone unnoticed by her.

Phoebe was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of her sister's voice. First, she looked directly at Piper before shifting her gaze between Paige and Prue who also looked in her direction.

"Yeah, you've seemed quiet all day, Pheebs," Paige piped in. "You barely bought a thing and you love to shop," she quipped in amusement. She grabbed for her drink and began slurping through her straw.

"It's nothing," Phoebe tried to pass off through denial but her sisters knew better and she was aware of it. With a slight roll of her eyes, she decided to give them something; otherwise, they wouldn't let it go. "I mean, it's nothing serious," she added. "Coop and I aren't speaking right now, that's all. We had this really stupid fight."

Paige looked back. "Aw, what happened?" she inquired.

Phoebe sighed. "I don't know exactly, maybe it's just me," she replied as she second-guessed herself. "He's been acting weird ever since he got back with Leo or at least I thought so! And I could have sworn I was picking up on something but ..." she allowed her voice to trail off.

"What did you think you were picking up?" asked Piper.

When Phoebe caught the quizzical expression across Prue's face, she offered a more detailed explanation so her sister would understand what they meant. "Oh. See, while you were gone I developed as an em-path," Phoebe clarified for her oldest sister. "So, I can pick up on what others around me are feeling or experience the same emotions they do."

Prue nodded her head in response. This whole arrangement still felt awkward for her but she was giving it her best shot. After Phoebe's brief explanation, her mind suddenly pulled her back to a time when she had accidentally acquired that power. This em-path power had originally belonged to a priest who had cursed a demon with his gift. The curse had been intended for eternity until Cole had led her straight into the demon's grasp and she had unknowingly cast a spell that freed him. Unfortunately, she had cursed herself at the same time. That power had almost destroyed her but, in the end, she had mastered her emotions and defeated him with it.

"Wow," she replied back. "That must be difficult to deal with at times!"

"It is," Phoebe willingly admitted with a sincere nod of her head. "But it also allows me the opportunity to be able to get to the truth. Because I don't just hear it, I can actually feel it too," she finished explaining while looking at Prue.

"So, then, what were you feeling from Coop?" Paige reiterated, trying to get back to the heart of Piper's initial question.

Phoebe looked towards the table in deep contemplation. "I'm not sure. Confusion, maybe. Buried pain, but this felt like it was hidden or something," she continued on. "It's almost like an emotional wall was put up to keep it there but something recent brought it back to life. But ..."

However, at the same moment, the waitress returned to their table to serve them their food and Phoebe quickly clamped up. She smiled up at the young woman who placed the dishes in front of them while her sisters remained just as quiet. They offered their gratitude by thanking her and after reassuring her that everything was to their satisfaction, she headed back for the kitchen.

"So, I take it things didn't go too well when you asked him?" Paige asserted.

"No, he completely denied it but denied it in that way when you know someone's lying," Phoebe answered back. "I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed so hard. He might not be ready to talk about whatever it is," she surmised as she took a bite of her food.

"So, just tell him that!" supplied Paige. "That you're willing to listen when he's ready."

"Well, I would have but he hasn't come back since the argument. And that's two days ago," she stressed. "See, every time I try to talk myself into believing that maybe I was just reading into something that wasn't there, he pulls something like this which only makes me more suspicious," she vented. "I mean, the argument wasn't that serious so why avoid me if there's no truth to what I said?" she reasoned.

Piper listened. "Well, then, go with your first instincts," she advised. "I mean, if you felt like Coop was hiding something than he probably was. Your gift has never steered you wrong before, right?" she offered in support.

Phoebe smiled back, thankful for the sisterly support. The four women continued to eat their late lunch, completely oblivious to some of the impending chaos about to erupt in the days to come.

**ooooo **

Billie slowly came to, her eyes fluttering back open. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness for what felt like endless hours but she couldn't be sure because time seemed to stop for someone caught in the dingy, clutches of the Underworld.

As she took in the sight of the dark, rocky ceiling formation above her, she let out a dry cough. Her throat felt parched and she quickly remembered that her current state of paralysis left her in no position to move around.

"Hello?" her raspy voice called out into the open space. But, there was nobody around to respond back. "You know, if the whole idea is to torture me, the least you can do is give me some water so I stay alive long enough to be tortured," she cracked.

_Damn it, I'm going to die, _thought Billie. How long would it be before the sisters even noticed she was missing? Or should she say, how long would it take before her new-found family realized she was gone? After all, she was the one that decided to distance herself from them. And the timing couldn't have been worse. Even more alarming? The fact that she couldn't warn them about Gideon's mysterious resurrection and how he would be coming for the kids.

As she attempted to put more wasted energy into a hopeless struggle to free herself, once again, Billie found it to be in vain. All she managed to succeed in doing was making her mind and body grow weak until she finally drifted off into another disturbing dream. This particular dream kept reoccurring each time she fell asleep. It would start off with Billie, inside her childhood home, with her sister Christy racing ahead of her to the kitchen door that led to their backyard. It was strange because while Billie still felt like herself, she also felt like she was back inside of her five-year old body as she lagged behind her sister ...

**(Dream Flash)**

_"Last one outside is IT!" announced seven-year old Christy as she grabbed for the door knob and ran down the steps into the spacious backyard. Her brown-colored pigtails bobbed on the sides of her head as she raced for the big tree positioned next to a swing set._

_"Christy, WAIT!" wailed five-year old Billie as her shorter legs struggled to catch up with her big sister. It wasn't fair, she always came in last! Which meant when they played their game of tag, she would be the one to count and chase after her sister. Again!_

_Young Billie watched as Christy was the first one to tag the big, tree trunk. Billie kept running but she was still far behind. As Christy turned around, she plastered a gigantic, triumphant smile across her face that was aimed in Billie's direction. _

_"You're IT!" Christy exclaimed loudly, as she pointed at her baby sister, while jumping up and down excitedly. _

_At this point young Billie stopped running, stubbornly stood still in one spot in the plush grass while she crossed her arms together, and pouted her small lips back at her sister. Then, she used one hand to push some of her short, blonde strands of hair that the wind had blown into her face._

_However, during this stage of the dream, things started getting weird. That was usually the end point of the dream but not this time. No, this time, the scenery surrounding Billie altered itself. And as Billie looked down at her feet, the first thing to change was her image. She watched as she transformed from being that five-year old little girl into being the young women she was now. Then, the bright, blue sky that hovered above seemed to just disappear as it was replaced by a misty gray fog, the same fog that surrounded her in every direction as it cast a dark shadow over everything. She could still make out the tree in the distance and the swing set placed close by but her sister's image became nothing more than a blur to her. But, suddenly, a bright light burst from behind the tree and she could make out the silhouette of Christy once again._

_"Christy!" Billie called out as she resumed her steps in the direction of the big tree. As she got closer, she could make out her sister's image shifting itself from the form of a young child into the shadow figure of another young woman._

_"Christy, is that you?" Billie called out once again. She stopped walking and looked in every direction as she heard the voice echo all around her._

_"You're IT!" repeated the child-like voice but it, too, transformed into the voice pattern of a more, mature sounding female. "Billie, You're IT! You're IT, Billie!" it repeated over and over. _

_Billie looked back in the direction of what appeared to be a young woman standing by the tree while she brought her hands up to cover her ears against the onslaught of words. "STOP!" Billie demanded as she closed her eyes. "I don't want to hear that anymore!"_

_When Billie opened her eyes, she watched as the shadowy form stepped out from the light and proceeded to walk in her direction. Slowly, Billie brought her arms down as she watched the form completely transform into the full image of another young woman. Her long, brown hair fell in length down her back and she issued a warm smile. Billie couldn't explain it but she didn't feel threatened by this encounter because somehow she just knew that this was Christy. This had been the sister she so desperately sought and now she had found her. _

_"No, Billie! I mean, You're IT!" the older version of Christy repeated to Billie as they stood face to face. "You have the Power to free yourself! Please don't give up!"_

_Billie's eyes misted over at the sight of her sister standing before her. "Christy?" she choked out. "How ... how is this possible?" she stuttered out._

_Christy smiled a warm smile. "Well, anything's possible with a little magic. You of all people should know that by now," she teased lightly. At the same time she spoke, Billie rushed forward and embraced her sister in a tight hug which Christy excepted graciously. "It's okay!" she muttered to her baby sister._

_Billie began crying with her head against her sister's shoulder while Christy offered her soothing words of comfort. Finally, Billie pulled herself together enough to stand back while she began wiping the remaining tears that stained her cheeks._

_"I just can't believe it's you!" she announced. "I've looked so hard for you and now here you are!" Then, on a second thought, Billie took on a quizzical expression as she began taking in her surroundings again. "Where are we anyway?" she asked, feeling very confused._

_"The dream plane," Christy answered for her. "But not for long!" she announced trying to get straight to the point. "Look, I'm only allowed to be here for so long before they'll make me go back," she tried explaining. "So, it's important that I tell you what I came to tell you!"_

_"Back?" Billie asked solemnly. "So, then, it's true. You are dead!" she declared as a statement but still seeking its confirmation. She had a somber expression on her face._

_Christy closed her eyes for a brief moment before addressing the question. "Yes Billie, but please, this is not the time to get into that!" she pleaded._

_"Okay," Billie drawled out with a touch of anger. "Then, when would be a good time? Because seeing as how you're dead and all ..."_

_Christy put her hand up and closed her eyes. "Billie, do you remember Dumain?" she interjected quickly so she could get the information out that she needed to. "Our imaginary friend that appeared shortly before I disappeared?"_

_"Dumain? Yeah, but he wasn't really an imaginary friend. He was a demon and he's dead now," Billie answered with a nod of her head while confusion continued to creep it's way through her being. "Why? What's he got to do with you being here?" she inquired._

_"Everything!" she bluntly replied. "I need you to think really hard. Back to one of our last games of hide and seek. The same one Dumain was playing with us in the backyard? He dropped something that day and you picked it up, remember?" Christy urged and eagerly waited for her sister's response._

_Billie scrunched up her face in deep concentration, searching her memory banks for that particular memory from her childhood. But, she couldn't seem to recall it. She began to shake her head to protest but Christy quickly jumped back in._

_"It was a strange-looking piece of paper with funny writing all over it. Probably in another language and it rolled up like a scroll would," she went on to explain in further detail. "Dumain lost it while he was hiding and when you found me first you showed me it. We laughed and we wanted to play a joke back on him so I told you to hide it before you found him," she expanded. "Do you remember where you hid it? It's very important!" she stressed to Billie._

_A dawning realization hit Billie as her eyes widened in shock. She did remember. Slowly, her eyes drifted in the direction of the big tree standing directly behind them. Christy watched the movement of her eyes and followed them as she turned her head around to look at the tree._

_"Oh my god!" Billie exclaimed, as she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. "Was that the reason they took you away?" she panicked, feeling waves of guilt wash over her. "Because of some stupid piece of paper I hid in the ground?" _

_Christy shook her head, vehemently. "Billie, NO!" she declared as she stepped forward to calm her sister. "This wasn't your fault! They were going to take me away with or without that paper and there was nothing you could have done about it," she did her best to reassure her. "But that paper is anything but stupid! You need to go back to the house and get it back to the Charmed Ones immediately. They can't reconnect without it!"_

_Billie shook her head, bewilderment settling in again. "I don't understand. Reconnect? What does this have to do with them?"_

_"The paper holds an incantation. It's the incantation to the Ultimate Power and all four sisters need to recite it together in order to awaken the power," Christy clarified. "But it's important that they do it before evil ever gets their hands on it. Because if they ever get ahold of it first, they could draw the power to themselves by reading the incantation backwards."_

_"Okay, how did Dumain even get his hands on that in the first place?" asked Billie, feeling somewhat scared by the prospect that, at one time, evil had access to the Ultimate Power through one, simple piece of paper with some words written on it! _

_"I'm not sure exactly, but something to do with a time-leaping demon working for him," Christy explained. "That's how Dumain found out about you, it's how he discovered where you came from but the only thing is it wasn't really a time-leaping demon. It was a time-leaping avatar," she corrected. "And Avatars don't side with either good or evil so I guess at one point an Elder used one to dispose of the incantation. It must have been the same avatar that Dumain used."_

_"Gideon," Billie muttered under her breath, at the mention of the unnamed Elder, as she listened to her sister's explanation._

_"Well, whoever this Elder was, he wanted to prevent that power from ever existing within the grasp of good or evil so he figured giving it to an avatar was the safest bet since they don't serve either side," added Christy. "But, then again, seeing as how they can also choose to play either side ..." she started as Billie went on to finish._

_"It ended up with Dumain at some point," concluded Billie._

_"Exactly," confirmed Christy. "Dumain thought he would need it for you!"_

_Billie took a deep breath and sighed. "Yeah, well he was wrong," she announced. She paused and took another breath. "Okay, but even with all that said, I don't know what use I'm suppose to be when I'm practically glued to the Underworld floor," she cracked._

_"Billie, you have the power to escape on your own," Christy gently admonished. "You just haven't been focusing on it. Stop using up all your energy to try and free your body. Start using your mind to free yourself!" she finished._

_"What are you talking about?" Billie countered. "I have been using my mind. And believe me, it's just as worn out as my body!"_

_"Your projection power, Billie!" Christy countered back. "You haven't been focusing on that! Use your mind to project your own reality. Project yourself lying outside of the stones instead of being encased by them. Pretty cool power by the way," she added with a nod of her head. _

_"Whoa, no way! I'm nowhere near that advanced!" protested Billie. "Besides, even if by some miracle I could pull that off, I would still be stuck in the Underworld with no way back home. My projection power can't shift me between worlds."_

_"Why not?" Christy disputed. "You had no problems projecting yourself to me when I was still in the Underworld," she pointed out readily._

_Billie stared at her sister, feeling somewhat dumbstruck. "That was really you?" she asked. "You can remember that?"_

_Christy smiled back at her sister. "Of course, I can remember silly," she teased before turning serious. "It was the one piece of comfort I had up until the end. See, it didn't matter that you never found me because your visit from the future let me know that you'd be looking for me one day. I was young and I felt so scared and alone for such a long time but I lived with that hope. Hope you gave me," she smiled sadly. Then she smiled, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "But, now, I am home. With Mom and Dad!" _

_The tears resurfaced and they slipped down the sides of Billie's face as she looked down towards the ground. "Christy, I'm so sorry!" Billie apologized as the reality of her sister's passing was finally settling in. She brought her hands back up to wipe the tears._

_It was Christy that stepped forward, this time, and embraced her grief-stricken sister. Afterall, she would always be the baby sister she shared five years of her early life with. Nothing would change that, not biology, not demonic kidnappings, and certainly not lost time._

_"Billie," she called out gently, while pulling back and gently cupping the sides of her face. "Stop! You need to stop blaming yourself otherwise you'll never be able to put this behind you. And you need to because you have a very important future ahead of you. But, first, you have to be able to move on." _

_Billie swallowed and continued to wipe against the tearful onslaught. "I'm just so confused about everything," she muttered._

_Christy shook her head, not understanding what the confusion was about. Until, it dawned on her that Billie was most likely feeling alot of guilt about moving on. "What is there to be confused about?" she ventured. "Billie, look, it's okay. You've found your other family, there's nothing wrong with that," she assured her. "Don't feel like you're betraying me, or mom, or dad because you're not! We love you, we always will. But we want you to be happy and more importantly safe!" she stressed. "And now, you have others who are just like you."_

_Billie remained silent as she absorbed her sister's words. In truth, they did bring a sense of comfort to her and a feeling of peace did begin to settle within her being. Maybe she did need their reassurance and approval before she could truly move on. Because, almost immediately, she thought back to her conversation with Prue when she had finally admitted to the truth that she was, in fact, her daughter. Billie remembered lashing out at her because of her parents deaths and the blame she, herself, felt for both that and her sister's disappearance. Because of their demonic related deaths, maybe she needed their reassurance, not her birth mother's, that it was okay to come from a powerful line of magic? That she would always be accepted by them no matter what?_

_In light of her sister's quiet, contemplative state, Christy decided to pipe in and lighten the mood. "Besides, this time you get to play big sister," she teased. "And they're going to need you around!"_

_"They?" Billie jumped in, catching the use of the plural pronoun. "There's only Molly. And me." She looked at her sister for some clarification. "Oh, and of course, Piper's kids." she quickly added._

_Christy smiled and brought her index finger to her lips. "Ssh," she pronounced. "I probably shouldn't have let that slip," she whispered "but, you'll be getting a new, little brother soon," she finished._

_Billie's eyes widened in shock. "Oh!" came her simple, one-worded response. "Wow! I guess," she added with a small shake of her head. "I, uh, actually don't know how to respond to that."_

_Suddenly, Christy shifted her head around, trying to locate the source of the buzzing sound. But, then, she quickly concluded that she was being called back. Her time was up. "Uh sorry, Billie, but it is time for me to go," she addressed her sister with a hint of sadness. "They're calling me back."_

_Billie took an instinctive step forward. "Wait!" she panicked before calming herself back down. "Uh, will I be able to see you again?"_

_The only response Billie received back was a smile before her sister's image began to fade from her sight and her surroundings blackened into nothingness. Then, she was pulled from her sleep back into her reality-based, nightmare._

**(Dream Flash Ends)**

"Christy?" Billie called out, upon opening her eyes and meeting the dark, solid ceiling. Her cry sounded muffled. "Christy, wait, come back!" she pleaded into the empty air.

"Sorry, but there's no Christy here!" came the loud booming voice that immediately startled Billie to the core. "I'm afraid I'll have to do for now," the voice mocked.

The shrill voice startled Billie to the bone and if her body could have jumped, it would have. Immediately, she identified the voice and who it belonged to so she rolled her eyes in response. Great! It was Gideon. What did he want now?

**ooooo**

The darklighter orbed into the alleyway as discreetly as possible. And this time, he had brought some back up with him as another darklighter orbed in beside him. However, little did either one realize, they had been trailed for some time.

Lana shimmered in and remained hidden in the back corner behind a large dumpster that appeared to be deteriorating for some time. Quietly, she knelt down so she could eavesdrop on the discussion the two demons were having ...

"As soon as I shift into the charge, I'll call out," remarked the darklighter to his comrade. "When he gets here, be ready! After we take him out, I'll be able to use his image to accomplish our next important task!"

Lana furrowed her brows in contemplation. _Since when do darklighters shapeshift?, _she thought to herself. Then, she quickly pieced it together. _Gideon! He must have used the Vicarian Stones to make a deal, _she concluded. _The Stones enhanced his powers! _Then, she returned her attention back to the discussion to gather more information. Information, she hoped, would be useful to her in some way ...

"What's so special about this one?" challenged the second darklighter. "What do we need his image for?"

The darklighter, with the dark hair, sneered. "Because this particular whitelighter will give us an IN with the Charmed Ones! It's perfect. They know him so they won't question his presence but at the same time they don't know him well enough to be suspicious about his behavior!"

"The _Charmed Ones_?" the second darklighter questioned, his tone dripping with some fear. "Are you crazy? That's suicide. Have you not heard the rumors spreading in the Underworld? With the return of their dead sister, they're not even the _Power of Three _anymore! They're the _Ultimate Power_, we can't go up against that!" he argued.

"We can and we MUST!" hollered the darklighter in charge. "And we must do it, now, before they reach their full potential. Besides, we won't be going after them directly, but I need that image to get close enough to the remaining offspring! And JD's going to help me do just that!"

"And what does this whitelighter, JD, have to do with the Charmed Ones?" the second darklighter countered back in an arrogant manner.

The first darklighter turned to address him. "He's connected to the Eldest one's long, lost daughter Billie," he remarked. "And we already have her. But, IF this is a problem for you," he threatened the other darklighter "I'm sure there are a number of others willing to take your place and prove their worth to the Triad!" His eyes were blazing as he put the inferior darklighter in his place.

The second darklighter stiffened up and remained silent in response to the disguised threat that hinted at his extinction if he refused to go along with the plan set in motion.

The first darklighter sneered in return. "Good!" he mocked. "Then we understand each other!"

_Hm, JD? __So, he's connected to Billie. This might actually come in handy for me._

However, Lana was suddenly broken from her thoughts by the sounds of screeching coming from the direction of the two darklighters. As she lifted herself up to take a look, she noticed that the darklighter had already taken on the fake disguise of a charge in need while the second darklighter appeared to be on the attack. Instantly, the sight of blue and white orbs materialized into a young man stunned by the scene playing out before him.

**ooooo **

It had been a long, tiring day as Phoebe opened the door to her apartment and stepped inside. However, the sight which greeted her upon her entry momentarily startled her as she jumped back. There, sitting on the couch, was Coop with his face in his hands. When he heard the sound of the door click open, he looked up, glimpsing the startled reaction of his fiance.

"Coop?" Phoebe questioned in astonishment. Then, just as quickly, her astonishment was replaced with some annoyance as she remembered how he had made it a point to avoid her for the past couple days. "What are you doing here?" she asked with minor agitation laced together in her words, as she placed her small, shopping bag on the floor along with her purse.

Coop briefly glanced to the floor, folding his hands together, while Phoebe stood in place with her arms crossed over. "Look, I'm sorry," he started. "I've just been thinking about the best way to go about all this!"

"Well, see, that's the problem," answered Phoebe as she brought her arms down and proceeded in the direction of the couch. "I don't know what _all this _is!"

The momentary anger she had felt just moments before began to fade with the prospect that Coop appeared to be trying to open up with the truth. So, she sat down beside him and continued on.

"And I honestly do not understand why you felt the need to avoid me for this long!"

"Because," he sighed. "As cheesy as this may sound, it's got nothing to do with you," he answered her question. "It's me! Or more pointedly, my past," he added on. Coop glanced at her quickly before looking back down towards the floor. "I, uh ... " he stuttered.

Phoebe reached out for his hand as a show of support. "Coop it's okay. You what?" she pressed him.

"I ... I was mortal once," he finally admitted as he looked her directly in the eyes.

A period of silence elapsed between them as they both looked at each other straight-faced. Then, suddenly, Phoebe turned away with fits of laughter escaping through her.

"Wait a minute!" she exclaimed. "Are you serious? That's the big secret," she announced, as she got up off the couch and began pacing with her arms crossed. Finally, she stopped to face him as she addressed him again. "We fought because you were afraid to tell me you were a mortal?" she asked rhetorically feeling disbelief that he honestly thought she'd take offense to that. "Hello?" she cracked. "Mortal here!" she remarked while bringing her hand up against her chest. "Why would you feel the need to hide that?"

Coop closed his eyes and shook his head before he interrupted her mini rant. "You're not letting me finish," he interjected before she said anymore. When he grabbed her attention, he continued. "There's more," he added.

"Okay. What?" she questioned, a smile of amusement taking form from the absurdity of the entire admission.

Coop sighed before delivering the next piece of news he was sure would shock her. "When I was alive, I had a sister." he answered her. "And I was convicted for her murder," he announced.

The smile that her face bore slowly faded away until it was replaced with an unmistakable look of distaste. Because the last thought her mind registered was her own question. Had she just heard right? Murder?

**ooooo**

As Piper sauntered down the stairs, her attention was grabbed by the sound of the doorbell ringing loudly. After a long day out, they had finally gotten back home an hour ago. However, as tired as she was, she knew she had to get dinner started.

Piper walked over to the door preparing to greet whoever the visitor could be. When she opened it, her eyes widened in shock as she was greeted by the sight of several men preparing to enter her home, boxes in hand.

"Excuse us, where would you like these ma'am?" two of the men asked while they barged into her home. They proceeded to place the boxes on the floor of the foyer as they waited for her answer.

Piper, not knowing how to respond to the sudden intrusion, turned to address the delivery man still standing at her front door, a clipboard in hand.

"Uh ... excuse me, but do you mind telling me who the hell you are?" she demanded of the gentleman smacking on some gum. "And what are you doing inside my house?" Piper turned her head around to address the other two men standing in her foyer. "I didn't order anything!"

One of the men standing in back of her, threw his hands up in the air in a defensive gesture. "Hey, I just follow orders. I was told to bring the box inside this address so that's what I did!" He flashed her a cheesy grin in a sarcastic manner.

The man smacking down on the gum, reached out to deliver the clipboard. "Would you mind signing here, ma'am?" he asked, using the pen to point at the dotted line.

Piper turned back around as the man addressed her. At the same time, she caught a glimpse of the big moving van over the man's shoulder. There were more movers unloading what appeared to be pieces of furniture.

Piper laughed sardonically. "Whoa!" she let out. "Wait a minute here! You must have the wrong address because none of this is my stuff!" she argued. "STOP!" she picked up her hand to block another young man as he attempted to enter the home with more boxes.

The man smacking the gum rolled his eyes as he pulled the clipboard back to him and began reading off of it. "Ma'am," he feigned in annoyance. "This is 1412 Prescott Street, is it not?" he asked, with a dramatic nod of his head.

With both hands hoisted against her hips, she answered him. "Uh, yeah, but ..." she stammered but as she began to protest she was cut off.

"And does a Prue Halliwell live here?" he went on to elaborate.

Piper laughed again. She turned around, rolled her eyes, and faced her gaze towards the staircase while shouting out. "Prue? GET DOWN HERE!"

She turned back to look at the man, a grin plastered across her face.

**ooooo **

As JD orbed into the mist of the attack before him, he cried out to grab the darklighter's attention so he could distract him long enough to orb out and back in for his charge. He had heard the charge's cry for help and instantly sensed the location.

"HEY!" he shouted out, as the fair-haired darklighter turned around to face him. He had the young woman hoisted up by the throat.

A smug grin was plastered on his face, as he dropped the darklighter in disguise to the ground and approached the young whitelighter. JD orbed out and in the same few seconds before he reappeared, the darklighter in disguise reformed back into himself with his crossbow ready in hand. He stood up as the blue and white orbs began to materalize in front of him. A self-righteous smirk graced the features of the second darklighter standing directly across from the other one. As soon as JD appeared, he witnessed the smirk while the darklighter standing behind him lifted his crossbow preparing to aim. However, simultaneously, a large energy ball impacted the darklighter from behind sending him and his crossbow flying to the ground, face first.

"Aha!" the darklighter hollered as he impacted the ground. The sudden attack that thwarted their plans caught the attention of the second darklighter who gazed in the direction of the young woman approaching from the background.

This caught JD's attention and he turned around just long enough to glimpse the young woman as well. He was momentarily caught off guard by the revelation that there was indeed, no charge, and he was left with two darklighters in place. Immediately, he orbed out.

Lana halted her movements and sneered at the two, darklighters who stood to face her. Slowly, they approached her with caution for they instinctively knew she wasn't a witch. No, this woman had used a demonic power to thwart their attack and it left them seething in anger at such a betrayal.

"How dare you?" the dark-haired one in charge addressed her.

He prepared to aim his crossbow at her until he caught sight of the pentagram emblem engraved in her forehead. It glowed and then receded. The marking was invisible to the naked eye but because the darklighter was in league with a Triad member, he had the ranking to be able to see it. It was a new precaution the Triad was using after an exiled member had attempted to thwart the Triad's plans earlier in the year. This way, any demon associated with the Triad would know who was a member versus who wasn't.

"The Triad?" he mumbled, as he brought the crossbow back down. Immediately, he signaled to the other darklighter to bring his arrow down. "Wait!"

The other darklighter looked to the leader as they both looked at the young woman once more and then orbed out of sight.

Lana sighed. A part of her felt conflicted but another part of her felt satisfied. There would be no turning back now. Once the darklighter delivered the news of her betrayal to Gideon and the rest of the Triad, it would mean the definite end for her. However, she quickly argued that point was mute because Gideon had already made the decision to dispose of her long before she ever decided to turn to these measures. Nope, there was only one route left to go. And that was to reach out in search of her mortal ties. Hopefully, that part of her could still be saved, she reasoned.

Suddenly, she was alerted to the flash of blue and white orbs materalizing behind her. Lana turned around preparing to defend herself as the orbs turned into JD.

"Who are you?" JD asked, a questioning look on his face. "A witch?" JD had a conscious and he couldn't very well leave this young woman behind, powers or no powers, without making sure she would be safe. Not after she had saved his life.

Lana looked the young whitelighter up and down. "No," came her simple reply. "And believe me when I say you don't want to know," she added.

"Okay, you make that sound like a bad thing?" he remarked, a puzzled expression taking root for the first time. "But you saved my life, so that conclusion wouldn't make very much sense," he reasoned with a shake of his head.

Lana smirked in response. "Who says that I did it for you?" she threw back as she attempted to walk past him. However, she stopped walking and turned back around to face JD when he addressed her.

"So, then why did you?" he countered.

Lana sighed and began walking back in his direction. She stopped a couple feet in front of him. "Alright. You don't beat around the bush," she commented. "I like that. So, the truth? I want your help with something. And, if you agree to it, I might just help you in return," she bartered.

JD was left feeling confused. "Help Me?" he questioned. "With what exactly?"

Lana smirked again, in response to his reaction. "With Billie. She's trapped inside the Underworld as we speak," she openly admitted.

"WHAT?" came JD's instantaneous response.

Lana couldn't help but smile. When it came to Billie, his protective nature was so blatantly obvious as it practically rolled off his body language in waves. This would work to her advantage, she concluded, because it would make him putty in her hands.

**ooooo **

Gideon paced the ground floor of his hidden layer, confident that his goals would soon be accomplished. He was on his way towards enacting his revenge against the entire greater good with the fall of the Charmed Ones. Even better, he would succeed in stopping their next generation too. And, as an added bonus, he would soon have Lana out of the picture too.However, for the moment, he brought his attention back to the oldest of the Twice Blessed Generation.

"Go Away and Leave ME Alone!" Billie demanded.

Gideon smirked in response. "Now, what fun would that be," he mocked. "I thought you and I could get better acquainted before your final departure into oblivion takes place."

"Why, you won't be coming with me?" she tried to crack back.

Gideon laughed while he approached the stone formation surrounding Billie. He knelt down, lifted up one of the stones, and observed it before placing it back in position. "You know, one of the empowering things about these ordinary-looking, pieces of rock," he began "is that they fool the eye. They appear to be made up of nothing more than hardened gravel. But," he stressed. "These stones are actually much more than that!"

Billie remained silent. _Please just shut-up and leave, _she pleaded inside herself. How was she suppose to try and project herself out of this mess if Gideon kept rambling on about the hidden meaning behind some stupid rocks that held the ability to keep her paralyzed.

"See," he drew out while a smirk appeared on his face. "While you were busy taking your little nap there, these stones were able to record what was going on inside here," he explained, as he used his finger to point to his head.

_Uh-oh, _Billie thought while a stunned expression appeared on her face causing Gideon to laugh once again. _I take back my lame remark about those rocks being stupid, _she cracked. _Damn, does this mean he knows everything I know about my dream, _she worried.

Gideon's laughter was replaced by a satisfied grin. "Yes, the Vicarian Stones tend to grab that reaction from people," he mocked, poking fun at Billie's surprised state. Then, Gideon turned serious. "But, why don't we get straight to the heart of the matter. Which is we both know you remember that incantation. Tell me what you did with it and I promise to make your demise as painless as possible!"

_Crap, _cursed Billie. _He does know! But wait, _she recounted on second thought. _He's asking me because he doesn't know where I buried it! I never said it out loud. Which means, the stones must have recorded what was said on the dream plane, not what was seen, _Billie quickly concluded. A momentary feeling of relief passed through her. _Thank god, _she praised. _We're not totally screwed yet! _

"Why don't you tell me where it is," she countered back. "After all, weren't you the one that got rid of it?" she cracked, rhetorically, in an attempt to stall.

Gideon took in a deep breath as he struggled with controlling his temper. After all, he hadn't expected this to be that easy. "True enough," he managed to state. "At the time, I was trying to protect the greater good! But, now, that's mute!"

"The greater good?" Billie argued back. "Are you kidding me? You were an Elder and you abused your power so you could control the greater good. I've heard all about you. How can you stand there now and proclaim to have ever served it?"

Gideon's temper began to flare. "There are rules to be followed. That's what keeps order, that's what prevents chaos from erupting and THAT was what the greater good was suppose to be about," he spat out.

Billie automatically sensed the nerve she had hit with the former Elder. Although, she couldn't turn her head to look in his direction, she could feel his tension. "Really?" came her next retort. "Well, considering what you almost did to Wyatt, maybe we should ask Piper and Leo about that? Or how about my mother for that matter?"

"Your mother never should have been born," he fired back. "And neither should have you!" Then, Gideon paused, while trying to gather his composure. "As for Leo and Piper," he began calmly, "just another example of the rules being cast to the wind. Wyatt and Chris are just as unnatural as you, Paige, or your mother!" he spat with apparent disgust mixed in.

"Unnatural? Are you serious?," Billie laughed. "This coming from a former Elder turned Triad?" However, whatever this Gideon was rambling on about was lost on her. And, quite frankly, she didn't care.

Gideon sneered. What he wouldn't do to be able to banish her now but he knew his patience needed to persevere if he expected to be successful. Therefore, he concluded that he was willing to lose the battle at the cost of winning the war.

"Well," Gideon decided to interject with as much calmness as he could muster. "I can see this conversation is bringing us nowhere. So, I'm going to give you a little more time to sleep on it," he offered. "Sweet Dreams!" was his parting retort before Billie was left alone again.

Billie sighed with relief as she felt his presence leave. _Finally, _she thought as she started to place her energy back into projecting her freedom.

**ooooo **

After hearing the loud call of her name echoing upstairs, Prue came racing down the stairs in a panic. Was there something wrong? That had been her instinctive reaction upon hearing the shrill-like screech of her name but as she reached the foyer, there appeared to be anything but an emergency in progress. In fact, she was just in time to witness a cage being thrust into Piper's hand by a man clad in work uniform.

"Hey, now!" came Piper's response as she held the cage out in front of her. She gave it a look before noticing it was a cat.

"Oh! Oh! Kit," Prue swooned as she ran for the cage. Piper widened her eyes at her sister's reaction as she passed the cat cage to her.

"KIT?" Piper questioned. "You named that poor, black cat Kit?" she cracked.

While her sister watched, Prue placed the cage down and opened it up. Then, she stood back up with Kit in her arms as she snuggled closely against the cat. "Yeah. What's wrong with Kit?" she questioned.

"Nothing!" remarked Piper. "He just looks like a Midnight or a Salem or something like that!" she cracked back.

"She!" Prue corrected as she smiled and kissed her cat.

"Whatever!" Piper dismissed with a wave of her hand.

The man that was still left standing at the door with the clipboard in hand, continued smacking his gum while he rolled his eyes.

"Ladies?" he addressed both women. Both Piper and Prue turned to look back at the man. "This is touching," he retorted. "Really! And while I'm happy to have reunited you with your long, lost cat, I would like to finish my job and be done for the day!" He cheesed another grin. "So," he continued. "If you don't mind? One of you, please sign!" he stressed as he thrust the clipboard back out at the two women waiting for a signature.

Piper looked down towards the clipboard and snatched it out of his hand. Then, she signed it before thrusting it back at the man.

"Thank you!" he drawled out, as he rolled his eyes and turned around to leave.

Piper, catching it, threw out her last retort. "Yeah, you have a good evening too!" Then, she turned back to look at her sister.

"Thanks," muttered Prue.

"Uh-huh. You do realize this isn't all fitting in your bedroom, right?" she retorted. "And where did all this come from anyway?"

"Well, since I no longer have my apartment in New York, I guess it's coming here instead," Prue surmised, with a surprised expression. When the Elders had told her that history had been rewritten, she really hadn't expected all her old belongings to just pop up.

"You think?" cracked Piper, with her eyes widened for dramatic effect. "So much for needing new stuff!" she commented while looking at the boxes mounting around them.

As the movers began to bring through pieces of furniture, Piper jumped in. "Okay, hold it!" she laughed sardonically. "That's going to have to go to the basement," she quickly interjected as she pointed in the direction of the kitchen. "There's no way you're cluttering my hallway with that!"

"Sure, ma'am, whatever you say," was uttered under the breath, while the men stopped to listen to her instructions.

Prue made a face, as she apologized to her sister for the inconvenience. "Sorry," she offered. "I'll figure out what to do with it all as soon as I can. Promise."

"Well, you know?" Piper began. "If you're planning on moving into the basement, then I guess we'll be all set!" she joked.

Both women shared a small laugh before they began stacking some of the boxes to make room for the movers to finish delivering the unexpected cargo.

**ooooo**

After his admission, Coop quickly stood to his feet to halt and impending freak out reaction to the news. He placed out his hands in front of him to signal he had more to explain.

Phoebe, on the other-hand, felt frozen in place. "Murder?" she managed to get out with a nervous laugh that followed.

"Now, Phoebe, it's not what you think!" he tried to reassure. "I didn't do it!" he denied.

"Right," she responded with a touch of sarcasm. "But a jury thought there was enough evidence to believe that you did it, huh?" she questioned, unsure whether this doubt was plausible or just her own fear breaking ground.

Coop closed his eyes in desperation. "Phoebe, please," he pleaded. "At least hear me out!"

"Uh-huh," she replied. "I'm listening!"

Coop sat back down and took a deep breath before resuming. "Okay. Well, let me start at the beginning," he offered. "My sister and I were, uh, orphaned very young. We came from a pretty dysfunctional, home life. Our father was a drunk and ... " he paused as he gathered the courage to carry on with the story. The pain these memories brought back made it feel as if it had all happened yesterday.

Phoebe felt some of her resolve breaking at the sight of her fiance. These were definitely painful times that Coop had endured while he was alive and it was showing as he struggled to continue. In an unexpected gesture, she opted to move to sit beside him and offer her support.

"Go on," she pressed gently, as she reached out her hand and placed it on his arm.

Coop glanced at her and released a nervous smile as he attempted to continue. "Yeah well, like I said, he was a sorry excuse for a father," he gritted through his teeth "who beat on my mother until one day her shot her before putting the gun to himself," he finished.

Phoebe closed her eyes. "Oh my god, Coop, I'm so sorry," she offered. Then, she reached out to hug him and he accepted.

"Yeah, me too," he muttered before pulling back so he could continue with the gruesome tale. "So, anyway, my sister and I spent most of our childhood shuffled through different foster homes," he continued to explain. "We were pretty close, all we had was each other. But, one day, she ended up with the wrong crowd and we had a falling out over it. I, uh, told her that I refused to watch her throw her life away and then I walked away."

Coop grabbed for a piece of paper that was sitting on the small coffee table in front of them. He crumpled it up in his hands, stood up, and then through it across the room in frustration.

"Coop, that wasn't your fault. Sometimes things like that just happen. I mean, look at me?" she tried to relate. "When I went through my rebellious period, my grams did everything she could to stop me. And even after she died, my sisters were powerless to do anything," she relayed. "Hey, I even moved away for six months before coming back!"

Coop looked at her. "Phoebe, thanks, I appreciate what you're doing. But that still doesn't change the fact that if I had been around to keep an eye out for her she might have still been around today."

"Why?" Phoebe asked. "When did all this happen?"

Coop sighed, as he took a seat back down beside her. "1986," he announced. "That would make it twenty years ago. I was put on trial for her murder, they convicted me a year later, and I was put to death in '92!" He shook his head. "When I died, I appeared before the _Afterlife Council_. I was offered the opportunity to serve as a Cupid, or I could reincarnate into a new, mortal life. Obviously, I chose the first option."

Phoebe immediately felt some guilt that she even doubted or considered the prospect that her future husband-to-be could have been a murderer. First off, there was no way the _Afterlife Council _would ever appoint a murderer as a Cupid to begin with. Secondly, it was just not in Coop's nature. Deep down, she already knew that when her empathic connection was open to him.

"Ironic, isn't it?" he continued, while fiddling his fingers. "The one thing I lacked in my own life, I now oversee for others. Love!" He released a light laugh. "And make no mistake, I had my own issues going on. Later on, I hit the bottle, following in dear ole' dad's footsteps. I couldn't make any relationship last, but I swore I would never lay a hand on a woman and I kept that promise. I vowed to be alone and miserable before I'd ever let it happen. Well, and then boom! One day, she shows back up on my doorstep," he continued as he recalled the memory ...

**(Flashback ... Los Angeles ... 1986)**

_It's the middle of the night, and a frantic knocking wakes him out of his sleep. He tosses in bed, inside his small apartment, as the loud, booming sound pierces through his throbbing head. On the bed next to him, an empty liquor bottle lies on top of the bedsheets while more empty beer cans lie sprawled across the bedroom floor._

_"What the hell," he mutters. "Go away," he mumbles through his groggy state as he grabs for his head in the wake of an upcoming, morning hangover. _

_However, the knocking fails to cease. In fact, it gets louder and louder but this time a female voice accompanies the banging disturbance._

_"Richard, open up!" the desperate voice can be heard pleading. "Please!"_

_Damn it, he curses as he forces himself out of the bed. He grabs for the robe on the floor and quickly throws it over his body while forcing himself to stand up straight. Then, he heads for the kitchen door, wobbling, all the while holding his head._

_"Look, it's almost one o'clock in the morning and I don't appreciate," he begins to holler as he opens the door but he halts his sentence the minute he notices who the intruder is. "Jenna!" he exclaims in shock._

_The very sight of her was enough to sober him up real fast. It was his sister, the same sister he hadn't seen nor talked to in nearly three years. And here she was, standing at his door. Only, she didn't look like herself. She appeared drenched by water, a clear indication that it had to be raining outside, and she was shivering. Her lips quivered and she actually looked petrified. A long, beige-colored raincoat covered the length of her body while her wet hair fell in tangled strands. _

_"I need your help," she pleaded in desperation. "He's looking for me!"_

_Her brother bore a bewildered expression as he stepped to the side, allowing her entry. Immediately, she rushed inside. After closing the door, he turned around and headed for the refrigerator to grab a cold beer._

_"So, what's the problem," he inquired. "Boyfriend troubles?" he attempted to mock her as the lid on the can could be heard popping. "And, may I ask, what do I owe this dubious honor of seeing you after three long years?"_

_Jenna refused to respond to his sarcastic barbs while she removed the coat. She had always hated it when he got like this and she couldn't talk to him in this condition. And three years later, it appeared to have only gotten worse. But, she had no choice. She was desperate and had absolutely nowhere else to go. In fact, she had no idea if he would even accept her unbelievable story. After all, no one else had. She had even lost her friends, who all thought she was going mad._

_As he lifted the beer to take a sip, he instantly spit it back out at the sight staring back at him. "Holy crap!" he swore while bringing his arm up to wipe against his mouth. "Are you pregnant?" he asked in disbelief at the appearance of his sister's bulging belly._

_Jenna rolled her eyes at him. "No, I just like to eat alot!" she cracked, in response to what she considered his absurd question. "And as I can see, some thing's never change around here," she made reference to his drinking habit._

_"Don't Start!" he threatened, the beer can pointing in her direction. "Otherwise, there's the door!" he announced. "Go bother whoever the father is instead of me!" He began walking back in the direction of his bedroom._

_"Richard!" she suddenly pleaded. And once again, there was that desperation that made her sound like a lost, scared, little girl. "Please, I can't do that! You don't understand, I don't have anywhere else to go. I can't let him find me or he'll take the baby!"_

_Her brother stopped and turned back around to face her. His facial expression softened as he took a deep breath. "The bed is in there," he offered as relented to sleep on the couch._

_The last thing he saw was the big smile of gratitude, mixed in with relief, as he headed in the direction of his small living room ..._

**(Flashback Ends)**

Phoebe was astonished by the revelation. "She was pregnant?" she reiterated. "It sounds like she was in an abusive relationship. Did the father take the baby?" All these questions and more were racing through her mind.

Coop sighed. "Yeah, that's what I thought at first," he admitted. "But, no. Maybe if I hadn't been so hungover all the time, I would have been a little bit more clear-headed about the situation," he reflected with regret. "But, no, the father wasn't the one chasing her down. It was someone else and, quite honestly, the story just never made that much sense to me!" he volunteered.

"Well, what exactly did she tell you?" Phoebe pushed.

"Not much. Just that the father was out of the picture. And that he wasn't normal. But, she was positive that this other man wanted her baby. And when I asked her why, all she could tell me was because the baby might not be normal either," he explained. "Looking back, I have my own suspicions now but, uh ..."

Phoebe caught on almost immediately. "You think the _not normal _was actually code for demonic, don't you?" she asked outright. It sent an involuntary shudder down Phoebe's spine.

Coop looked her straight in the eyes. "Yeah, I do," he answered honestly. "Jenna stayed with me until she had the baby. I mean, the baby seemed normal enough to me so I had no idea what she was raving on about most of the time. Until that day," he trailed off before continuing. "They, uh, found traces of her blood in my apartment. A few days later, they finally found her body discarded on some railroad tracks in L.A. The baby went missing."

"And, then, they arrested you." Phoebe concluded the story while closing her eyes.

"Yup," remarked Coop as he clapped his hands together. "A lawyer by day and a drunk by night," he tried to joke. "And the motive?" he mocked the prosecutor handling his case. "The son of a former abuser kills his sister in a drunken stupor. Oh, that, and I couldn't handle the constant whining of an infant!" Coop rolled his eyes for he was all too familiar with attorney dribble.

Phoebe, then, brought up the one question still plaguing her thoughts. "So, what happened to the baby?" she asked. "Did the baby die?"

Coop sighed before answering. "The baby was presumed dead. But I wasn't charged there only because there was a lack of evidence. But, no, I don't believe the baby ever died."

Phoebe shuddered at the prospect. Then, she smirked as she decided to try and change the subject. "So," she began. "Your name was Richard before?" She hoped it would help to lighten the mood a tiny bit.

Coop laughed. "Uh, yes, sadly it was," he remarked, then smiled. "But being Coop has given me a new beginning," he expanded.

Phoebe smiled back. But, there was one more thing bothering her which she opted not to share during that particular moment. And that was the fact that she partially dreaded where she felt this revelation was leading. Because deep inside, she felt the strings pulling at Coop's heart. Which could only mean one thing. He wanted to find out where that missing baby ended up. However, given the suspicious nature that it was demon-related, this scared Phoebe.

It was uncharted territory that brought back a painful past, a past she was unwilling to go back to inside of her personal life. Therefore, the big question? How were she and Coop suppose to tread the waters together if he decided to travel down that path?

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Well, another chapter done. I'm going to try and get the next chapter done sooner but thanks for waiting. I hope you liked it because I was having some trouble, lol. Oh, and please don't forget to review. Thanks. **Stay tuned ... **


	24. These Ties That Bind

**:o) **Thanks to all my loyal reviewers who continue to read and offer their input. **Farah A., 1treehillcharmed**, **I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts**, **Charmedgirl-alyssaphoebe**, **Jedi Alanna**, and also welcome to my new reviewers **Charmed1979 **and **rose lily potter**.

**Jedi ... **lol, sorry but not Cole! But, that would have been an interesting way to twist the plot if i hadn't picked up with the canon on the show. Cole was born in the 1800s and it was the other way around for him. His mother was a demon while his father was human.

**Charmedgirl- **hehe, very observant! Shh! LOL!

**1threehillcharmed ... **I'm glad that my last chapter really pulled you into the story. Before posting it, I had to play around with it so it came across right. Lana? Well, this next chapter should answer some more questions about her.

**Charmed1979 ... **Welcome. Wow, I'm honored that you think my story is that good! This is my first fan-fiction ever. And, you know how to turn fan-fiction into a personalized book? That's awesome. I hope you continue to enjoy it!

**rose lily potter ... **glad you like it, this next chapter will tell you what happens next, **;o) lol**

**Farah A. - **Glad you liked the Billie/Christy interaction. I wanted to put some resolution in there when it came to finding the real sister.

**I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts ... **lol, I'm actually having some fun writing JD! The idea to stick him in the story actually came while I was writing.

* * *

**Chapter 23: These Ties That Bind**

JD orbed into the realm of the Underworld for the second time, his hands shaking and his heart pounding.

_What am I doing, _he pleaded with himself. _What if I end up getting her killed? _The rational side of JD argued that coming to the Underworld alone was not only dumb but could also result in getting both him and Billie killed. After all, he was an inexperienced whitelighter and didn't possess the necessary magic to protect himself. As a whitelighter, JD's purpose was to guide and heal. Not to engage in demonic combat or thwart their attacks. One false move could easily end his life. And then there was the other side of him. The instinctive part that caused JD to act on what his heart felt instead of thinking with his head. And it was the same part that could lead to big problems. But it hadn't mattered. All his mind had registered was that Billie was in some serious trouble and needed help. _You can do this, don't whimp out now, _he reaffirmed.

Slowly, he walked the length of the narrow passageway. And JD's own doubts began to resurface for the second time. Perhaps he should have made good on his threat to go to the _Charmed Ones _like he initially planned to do? After all, they were far more equipped to be dealing with this than he was. But, then, the bits and pieces from his conversation two days ago replayed in his mind ...

_JD took slow, deliberate steps backwards upon Lana's admission that Billie was trapped inside the Underworld. _

_"WHAT?" had been his initial reaction. "How do you know THAT?" he interrogated, while eying the woman suspiciously. His suspicions about who or what she was were already growing._

_Lana did not move. However, a self-satisfying smirk did appear in response to his question. "How do you think I know THAT?" she reciprocated quite smugly._

_It took all of JD's strength not to step forward and smack that self-righteous display of satisfaction right off her face. "Are you a demon?" came his accusation._

_However, Lana did not answer his question. Instead, she kept her smirk held firmly in place while turning around to walk away from him. This was enough to break the self-restraint that JD fought to keep in place. Suddenly, he stepped forward grabbing for her arm in a rough manner. She was twirled around as she came face to face with him._

_"HEY! She better be alright!" he demanded, looking her straight in the eyes. And it has been said that the eyes are the window to ones soul but all that JD saw through her glassy stare was his own reflection looking back._

_"Let go of me!" Lana seethed through her clenched teeth. She cast her glance down towards her arm, grasped firmly by the whitelighter before her. Then she brought her eyes back up to meet the angry stare of her aggressor. "OR you and Billie may live to regret IT!" she finished her threat._

_Slowly, he released his grip on her. "FINE! I wouldn't want your help anyway," he surmised. "I'll just go to the Charmed Ones," he announced while backing away. He turned around preparing to orb when her next retort caught his attention. _

_"I would reconsider that if I were you," she boldly asserted. "Especially since taking Billie is a trap to lure them there!"_

_JD froze, then turned around. "What are you talking about?" he questioned._

_Lana smiled. "I mean, it's a trap! To distract the Charmed Ones. So they can get their hands on the other small brats," she explained. "See, it's rather simple really. They discover Billie's missing, they go chasing after her in the Underworld to find her," she continued on with her explanation until she paused._

_While walking up to JD with her hands folded behind her back, she swayed her head from side to side as she looked up to the sky with a casual air. JD remained in position as she approached him, his only interest in if what she had to say might help Billie in some way. _

_"Only they won't find her because the location is sealed off from all magic," she suddenly voiced, continuing with where she had left off. Then, she paused to contemplate what she had said. "Well sealed off from everybody but ME!" she corrected, with a smug smile and nod of the head, still focusing her attention to the side of JD._

_"What's your point?" JD impatiently interjected. This brought her attention back on him._

_"My point IS," she stressed "that the Charmed Ones will be trapped in the Underworld by the Triad until they figure out how to take their power. Their brats will be left alone and vulnerable and somebody will be sent for them!" she finished with a roll of her eyes, to demonstrate what she had just said should have been the most obvious thing in the world._

_"Why should I believe anything you say?" challenged JD._

_Lana stared at him a few seconds before responding back. "Because I want to help," came her simple statement. _

_"Really?" mocked JD, as he crossed his arms together. "Let me guess? Because you're a demon with a heart, right?" He laughed before continuing. "Thanks, but I'll take my chances. I'll find her on my own!" he insisted._

_"Good luck!" she replied in a fake sugary tone, still undeterred. "Oh, but, in the chance that playing the hero doesn't work out and you do change your mind," she added with a superior air of confidence, "you'll know where to find me. I'll leave a connection open so you can sense my location. Which, by the way, I think is very big of me!" _

_That was her final say on the matter as Lana smiled, blew him a kiss, and with a wave of her hand shimmered out before him. _

As JD finished remembering their encounter, he became frustrated. This was his second attempt, in two days, at trying to find Billie with no more luck than he had the first time. It was very clear to him that he was walking in circles and had no idea where he even was. Everything looked the same. Narrow winding pathways that never seemed to end, walls made of solid rock, and a dark atmosphere. How was he suppose to help rescue Billie when he didn't even know where he was going? Slowly, he was beginning to regret the fact that he might have to take Lana up on that offer. JD was feeling desperate. After he had orbed away that day, he had taken some time to reflect on Lana's story and considered that kidnapping Billie was indeed a plausible way of getting to the _Charmed Ones_. Therefore, for the time being, he had decided to leave them out of it.

Suddenly, JD panicked as he heard the sound of chattering voices and approaching footsteps. His first instinct had been to just orb out but, instead, he ducked behind a big boulder rock. Then, with extreme caution, he took a quick peak and watched the demons fade from view. JD released a quick sigh of relief at the close call and stood back up. He orbed out.

He definitely needed help here!

**ooooo **

Piper and Paige both sat on the attic floor of the manor.

Piper was fully engaged in studying one particular page from the Book of Shadows. It was the brief section that identified the Triad but as hard as Piper tried, it baffled her on how they were suppose to even defeat them. The sisters were already well aware of the fact that there weren't any known spells or potions to vanquish them for good and the one potion they had put together earlier in the year would most likely have the same effect. It would only serve to vanquish them temporarily but not permanently.

However, on the other-hand, Paige sat and kept fidgeting in a distracted manner. Every so often, she would glance at her watch or look anxiously towards the door. But this behavior went completely unnoticed by Piper who believed that Paige was patiently waiting on her. Finally, after a long drawn out silence, she voiced her thoughts.

"You know, Paige, I'm still not understanding how we're even suppose to do this." She stated this without taking her eyes away from the book. "Okay, so Prue's back and now we're four instead of three. But the Book is still the same. All the information is still the same. It's all power of three spells and potions. There's nothing in here on how the four of us are suppose to vanquish demons that are suppose to be unvanquishable. Let alone the Triad!" she concluded.

Silence still ensued for a short period of time. When it appeared as if her concerns went unheard, Piper finally glanced at her baby sister.

"Paige?" she inquired, in order to grab her attention. "Hello? Earth to Paige?" she repeated while waving her hand in front of her face. "Did you even hear a word I said?"

Paige huffed, bringing her wrist up to look at her watch. Again. "Uh, we did say three o'clock, did we not?" she remarked. "I mean it's 3:30 now! We were all suppose to meet up here for three, so where are they?" came her anxious inquiry.

Piper just smiled. "Paige, relax! They'll be here," she reassured. "Prue's interview is probably running late and Phoebe, well, I'm not exactly sure where Phoebe is but she'll show up," she insisted after taking a moment to think about it.

"Well, it's good to know one of us is so sure," Paige cracked. "Because I, on the other-hand, happen to be a nervous wreck! The Triad is coming after us, we haven't the faintest idea what we're doing, and Prue and Phoebe decide to pull a _better late than never _on the first day we get together! BUT, relax she tells me!" her mini-rant ended. Then, she sighed.

Piper laughed. "Look, chill out Restless One!" she teased her sister before turning serious again. "Believe me, I feel anything but confident right now but we can't let that stop us. There's got to be a way to do it, we just haven't figured it out yet," she asserted. "This Ultimate Power must be some pretty powerful stuff if Gideon was afraid of it. Even the Triad wants it!"

"Yeah, maybe we just have to figure out how to tap into it? Maybe we don't even need spells or potions?" Paige contemplated aloud.

"Maybe," Piper mumbled under her breath, while she looked back at the small amount of information detailing the Triad. "But, somehow, I doubt it's going to be that simple."

Just at that precise moment, Phoebe waltzed into the attic, her sudden appearance grabbing the attention of both her sisters. There were a string of apologies she was prepared to launch in her defense because she hadn't meant to lose track of time. It was just that she had alot on her mind after Coop's admission a couple days ago and she had taken the initiative to go to the public library and check the archives in the hopes of getting some more background information on the story. Unfortunately, there really wasn't that much else to find. Most of the newspaper articles detailed the same facts that Coop had already shared with her. But, in truth, Phoebe also acknowledged that the library is usually never the most forthcoming place to gather information on demons. After all, she happened to be scanning _The Los Angeles Times_, not _The Demonic Times._

"Ah, so glad you could make it!" threw out Paige. "I was beginning to think I was the only one who could tell time around here," she joked.

"I know, I'm sorry," Phoebe apologized. "I wasn't trying to flake on you guys. I really did lose track of the time but ... hey, where's Prue?" she suddenly asked, placing her hands on her hips, and noticing for the first time that their oldest sister was now the only one missing from the group.

"Interview," replied Piper quite casually, while she stood up with the Book of Shadows in hand and proceeded to walk over to the table with it.

Phoebe followed Piper over to the table where potion bottles and potion-making tools were set up and ready to go. The plan was for Piper to teach Prue about some of the updated potions, what ingredients to use, and what types of demons each one worked on best. Then, because Paige had the power closest to Prue's, she would help Prue strengthen her telekinetic ability by using her own form of the gift. And all the sisters would assist in helping to reawaken the use of her astral projection power or any latent powers that might present themselves.

"So. I take it Prue's trying to get her old job back, then?" Phoebe questioned. Paige got up off the floor to join both of her sisters at the table.

"Yup," answered Piper. "You know Prue and that independent streak of hers. That's certainly one thing that hasn't changed over the years."

Paige decided to pipe in. "So, we're sticking with the original plan, right? I mean, you help Prue to learn the new potions and then we help her reconnect with her powers?"

"That's the plan," confirmed Piper. "But some of it's just going to come naturally with practice. Experience comes with time. Just like it did with us," she stressed. "We can still help her, but the rest is definitely going to depend on her."

"She'll be fine," Phoebe replied with confidence. "Prue just needs to get back into the swing of things, that's all!" she added.

"Hey, ya know, it's too bad that Prue and Billie are still in that awkward stage when it comes to beinng around each other," Paige offered up in thought. "Otherwise, we probably could have used her help here too. Two of Billie's powers are Prue's."

"Mmm," Piper mumbled. "That one might take some time."

Phoebe perked up at the mention of Billie's name. She had been so pre-occupied with Coop that she had actually forgotten to inquire about her. She was aware that Billie wanted her own space for awhile but that wouldn't stop Phoebe from acting like a concerned aunt. While she respected Billie's privacy, she still felt obligated to check up on her. After all, she was family.

"Hey, speaking of Billie, have either of you heard from her during the week at all?" she asked with concern. She looked between Piper and Paige. "I left her a couple messages but she hasn't called me back. It's really not like her to ignore my calls."

Piper nodded her head in agreement. Of all the sisters, Piper knew that Billie would always keep in touch with, at least, Phoebe. They both related to each other on a certain level and as a result had grown pretty close. Piper answered to her inquiry.

"I actually called to check up on her too. Just to make sure she was alright and dealing with everything. But, no, I haven't heard from her either. She never called me back." Piper paused for a moment to think about it some more. "Why? You don't think some-thing's wrong do you?"

"Uh, guys, helloooo," Paige stressed. "She did say she wanted her space, right? Maybe that also means no phone calls for awhile? I mean, the girl does have to come to grips with some pretty shocking revelations," she offered up in Billie's defense.

However, Phoebe wasn't convinced. Especially, with Piper's own admission. Billie wanted her space, yes, but she also knew that Billie would always check in with the three of them to make sure nothing was wrong on their end. Slowly, she began to shake her head in rebuttal. "I don't know. Maybe we should check it out just to be sure?"

Piper sighed looking between her two sisters. A part of her felt torn because Paige's rationalization made sense but Phoebe did have legitimate concerns as well. Quite possibly, they could be over-reacting but she settled on that it was better to be safe rather than sorry. And especially with the threat of the Triad looming over them. And, unfortunately, Billie was connected to everything that happened with them earlier in the year. She decided to back up Phoebe's suggestion.

"Actually, I am a little worried too, Paige," she admitted. "But you're her whitelighter, do you think you could try sensing for her?" she made her own suggestion.

Paige made a slight roll of her eyes before closing them and trying to sense for a location. In truth, she really did believe her sisters were just overreacting. She had the uttermost confidence that when she did pick up on a location, that it would be inside a college dorm or somewhere else on campus. However, when she received absolutely nothing on Billie in return, her certainty began to turn into doubt. And that doubt slowly transformed into worry. As her sisters watched her facial expression change, a nervous frown formed on her face.

"Paige, what is it?" Phoebe inquired nervously.

"Is she okay?" came Piper's follow-up question.

Paige opened her eyes, shaking her head. "I, uh, I can't sense her," she stammered out, suddenly feeling guilty that she had been so sure nothing could be wrong. _How could I be so stupid with everything going on,_ she admonished herself.

"Oh no. That can't be good!" Piper released.

"But I don't understand," Paige quickly interjected. "If something was wrong, I should have heard her crying out for help, why didn't I hear that?" she began to panic.

Piper put up her hand to calm her sister down. Although, during this moment and on the inside, she felt anything but calm until they knew for sure that Billie was safe. "Paige, then maybe nothing is wrong," she offered up to her baby sister. "But all the more reason to just check it out like Phoebe suggested."

"Fine!" Paige relented. "Let me do a quick orb over there just to be sure. I won't be long, so if Prue shows up, just wait for me."

Then, Paige orbed away while her two sisters stood watching. And she prayed that she wouldn't have to return to the manor with bad news.

**ooooo**

Prue sat in the chair across from the man. The same man now judging the quality of her portfolio work. Time felt like it was at a stand still as the sound of his fingers tapped against the top of his desk. It was the only sound that could be heard.

Subconsciously, her hands found their way to each other and she began picking at her cuticles. It wasn't the first time her cuticles became victim to her anxious state of mind and she was positive it probably wouldn't be the last. At the same time, she continued to observe the motion of his fingers hitting the top of the hard surface in a continual pattern.

The interview with _415 Magazine _had initially been scheduled for two o'clock. However, after arriving, it had been pushed off until around three without prior warning. There had been no explanation given to her as she sat waiting on endlessly. It had ticked her off for she had found it to be rude. As a courteous gesture, the least the office could have done was call and notify her in advance to the change in schedule. Especially since she was due to meet up with her sisters, a gathering intended to reintroduce her into her magical life. And had she not been so desperate for a job she probably would have walked right out. For the third time during the interview, Prue took a quick glance at her watch. She was feeling on edge.

"Do you have somewhere more pressing to be, Ms. Halliwell?" he suddenly inquired. When he spoke, he didn't look up at her.

Prue was momentarily taken aback. His sudden and unexpected inquiry had pulled her from her reflective state. "Excuse Me?"

But she had heard him. _Yeah, actually, I do, _her mocking reply followed in thought form. _I was suppose to be in and out of here over an hour ago but apparently you haven't mastered the art of telling time. Or to display proper business etiquette._

"That's the third time, in this half-hour, you've attempted to glance at your watch unnoticed by me, only you've failed miserably at it!" he almost scolded her like a child. Then, he slammed the portfolio shut, his actions causing her to jump in her chair, as his stare met with hers.

"Well, actually, I ... " she began to stammer before the man cut her off in an abrupt manner.

"To be honest, I've seen better!" he threw at her. "Now, you may have worked at this magazine in the past but things change. Businesses grow, work expectations shift in new directions, and I happen to be in charge now. And, quite frankly, you've been out of the field way too long!" he admonished. "Sorry, but I just don't feel that you'd be a proper fit with us at this time."

"Right. I see." Prue stood up from her chair and reached over for her portfolio. It took all of her self-control to bite her tongue and hold back every sarcastic barb she was tempted to throw at him. _What a pom-pus ass, _she thought during that moment.

Prue extended her hand to thank him for the interview and to display some professional, business demeanor, demeanor which he lacked. Slowly, he reached out and accepted the handshake. "Thank you for your time and I'm sorry you feel that way!" she offered.

The man watched her departure. However, before exiting the office, Prue stopped at the door and turned back around. With a smug smile set in place, she finally gave in and couldn't resist throwing the man one dig before leaving for good.

"Oh by the way," she declared. "I was sorry to read that the magazine's sale quota has gone down by almost 50 percent over the past few years. And with distribution and profit down, it makes sense to me that _work expectations would shift in new directions. _That's really too bad. Because when I worked here, this magazine was considered one of the best to work for. So, I think you're right. I wouldn't be a proper fit with the company at this time," she mocked rather boldly.

The man just stared and had no verbal comeback.

While reaching for the door knob, Prue threw him one, last, parting remark filled with sarcasm. "A kindergarten class would do a better job running this magazine. So give me a call back when my four-year old's in charge!" Then, she opened the door and walked out.

After shutting the door, Prue leaned back against it and closed her eyes. _Damn it, _she groaned inwardly while releasing a sigh of deep frustration. She reached into her purse in search of the car keys. The same purse that was strapped over her shoulder. Piper had lent her the car for the interview but now she needed to get back to the manor. She was already late and as good as it felt to stick it to the man sitting behind the door, Prue knew she was still left in the same position. The same position she had been in before walking in there. Jobless!

Prue looked towards the heavens. Her retort directed at the Elders. "Thanks! You can UPS my belongings across the country, right, but you can't even give me my job back?"

She huffed before finally walking away.

**ooooo**

"What do you mean she thwarted your attack?" came the angry Triad's question.

Gideon and the other Triad members stood together inside the Underworld cavern belonging to the Triad collective. The darklighter had summoned them in order to report back on the failed mission but more importantly, why it had failed. Because they had a traitor in their midst.

"I mean, she saved the whitelighter's life and made an attempt against mine," the darklighter stressed before the entire collective. "This woman bore the mark of your collective. There was no mistaking who she is!"

"Lana!" the SECOND Triad seethed through his clenched teeth. "Damn it! I always feared her mortal side would ruin her. She's not strong enough to resist it!"

The first Triad rolled his eyes. "We don't know for sure she has betrayed us," he defended her. "What if it's all part of a plan? To exploit her human side and make them believe she's turned away from our ways?"

"You weren't there to see it," the SECOND Triad argued back passionately. "It was I who witnessed first hand how she struggled with her mortal ties. NOT YOU! We prepared Lana to enter the mortal realm as Christy, but I still had to take extra measures to keep her from being drawn into that world completely!"

"If she's turned on us, we'll have to take immediate action," the THIRD Triad member contributed into the discussion. "We can't risk anything getting back to the _Charmed Ones_, she knows way too much!"

Gideon was the only Triad member who remained completely silent. He stood in the background, hands folded behind his back with a smug smile in place, while he listened to the doubt spreading like a disease through the rest of the collective. It was exactly what he had hoped to accomplish so that Lana would be nothing more than a memory to him. Now, it appeared as if her own actions had added credibility to what he had been claiming all along. _Thank you for making this so much easier, _he thought snidely.

"We can't take any unnecessary risks this time," added the SECOND Triad. "It's important that we make all the right moves otherwise there won't be anymore chances," he stressed. "We need to take her out if only to be safe. Besides, like Gideon pointed out, what use is she to us anymore?"

"Yes. She's served her purpose!" the THIRD Triad readily agreed.

The FIRST Triad thought about the risks that were involved before deciding to agree with his fellow members. "Very well," he relented. "We'll need to strip her powers, together, in order to banish her from this collective. Without the _Ultimate Power _to vanquish her, that's the only other way to rid ourselves of her for good!"

"Agreed!" the entire Triad replied in unison.

Then, the FIRST Triad turned back to address the darklighter still within their presence. "You may depart from us to carry on with your mission," he instructed. "The other matter will be taken care of by us!"

"As you wish, my lords," the darklighter bowed his head before the collective and then dark orbs appeared. He left the Underworld.

As the darklighter departed, Gideon turned around with his back facing the others, his smug smile of satisfaction widening.

**ooooo**

After Lana opened the door and walked inside, a creaking noise coming from the floor inside the small shed could be heard. She took a moment to gaze around the empty, abandoned structure. It had been a place she had come to often during her childhood years. A place where Dumain had taken her while they had been in hiding. Alot of her early training had begun here before they had secured a place inside the Underworld. Dumain had called it _human desensitizing._

As a young child, Lana could still remember that first lesson she had taken to heart at the expense of a poor, injured animal. It happened one particular day, when Dumain had left her to fend for herself, she had ventured out of the small shed located in a secure area within the woods ...

**(Memory Flashback) **

**(Warning: I just wanted to make readers aware that there is a small part in here that involves an animal death. Therefore, if you are squeamish when it comes to animals being hurt you might want to skim over the second part of this flashback that's in italics. It's nothing too graphic but there is a mention of blood)**

_A six-year old Lana wanders out into her surroundings and into an area covered by tall trees that appear to spread for miles. The bright sun momentarily blinds her as she automatically squints her small, brown eyes against the brightness while bringing her hand up above her eyes to shield them from the light._

_She could remember feeling lonely. Dumain had clearly instructed her to remain inside until he returned but it felt scary being by herself for so long. Recently, they had been taking alot of time to harness her special gifts, gifts that Lana never even knew she held. It was hard at times because Lana really didn't want to do it but Dumain would get very mean. And since he was the only father figure she had, she did want to please him. Not make him mad. So she gave in and did as he asked of her._

_Lana had been working on her ability to shimmer from one place to the next; therefore, she had accidentally found herself outside as a result. Now that she was outside, her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she left the shed behind roaming into the woods. It felt like her small legs were walking forever until all the trees stopped spreading out before her and she came out into an open clearing._

_In the distance, she could make out what appeared to be other people in a small enclosure. Slowly, her small body crossed over the grass until she encountered an area of small people, like her, and bigger people like Dumain. She observed the people laughing and smiling and having a good time. The small people like her where climbing up something and then sliding down it. Others were sitting down and swinging on a seat. A small smile crossed her lips. Why doesn't Dumain let me do that, her young mind wondered. They look like they're having real fun! Why doesn't Dumain let me have real fun? He always wanted to hide her away and keep her a secret. And she suddenly felt bad at the sight of the other mommies and daddies laughing and hugging the other children. These other kids weren't hiding._

_"Hi! What's your name?" came the voice of another child that had approached her._

_Lana jumped and stared at the other little girl, about her height, without saying a word. Slowly, she took small steps backwards. _

_"My name's Christy," the other little girl offered readily after she received no answer. "Do you want to come and play with me? C'mon!" she instructed as she turned around, running in the direction of the big kid swings._

_Lana hesitated before slowly taking steps in the same direction. Christy held one of the swings for her while sitting on one of her own. "Here, this one's for you!" she announced eagerly._

_Without speaking, Lana sat in the swing while Christy began using her legs to make herself swing higher. However, Lana wasn't exactly sure what to do so she just sat on the swing, gently swaying, as she watched the other little girl._

_"That's my mommy over there," Christy explained, pointing in the direction of a woman with blonde hair sitting on the bench. "And that's my little sister," she added. "But she's too little for these swings!"_

_Lana cast her eyes in the direction of the smiling woman on a bench, a little girl with matching, blonde hair next to her. The other little girl appeared to be crying as the woman appeared to be tending to a scrape on the child's knee. Then, the mommy pulled the little girl in for a hug and kissed the top of her head while offering some soothing words to calm her. Lana felt a tinge of jealousy course inside her because she didn't have that. Why did these kids have a mommy to help them but she didn't?_

_"She's a big baby," young Christy explained with a roll of her eyes. "It's just a tiny boo-boo! She fell off the swing and got hurt. She's four and I'm six. Hey, how old are you? And where's your mommy?" she decided to ask out of the blue._

_Suddenly, their attention was drawn to a group of kids huddling near the tree and Christy jumped off the swing to go join them. Lana got out of answering the question but she decided to get up and slowly trail behind. As she came upon the huddled group, she caught sight of what had everyone's attention._

_A baby bird._

_"Look, I think it has a broken wing!" cried another little girl in the huddle, pointing down at it._

_"It fell from the tree," announced a little boy. "I think it was trying to fly but forgot how to do it," he concluded with a firm shake of his head._

_"It's going to die without it's mommy!" replied a second little girl from the group._

_"Well maybe the mommy didn't want it anymore!" another little boy replied boldly. "Maybe she got a new one!"_

_Lana gently tilted her head, observing the squirming bird. A small bird, left alone, without a mommy to help it. A mommy that didn't want it. Just like me! Maybe my special powers can help it, she thought. Or maybe Dumain could show me how to do it? Then, she knelt down and cupped her two small hands around the bird to lift it up. All the other children watched intently._

_"Hey, don't touch it!" yelled the second little boy. "It might have rabies!" _

_"Ewe!" all the children in the huddle screeched, turning around to run away from her and the bird in her hands. The only other child left standing with her was the other little girl named Christy._

_"I don't think the mommy didn't want it," she exclaimed. "And I don't think it's got rabies either!"_

_This time, Lana allowed a small smile to form on her face. But that was only until she could sense the anger coming at her in waves. Dumain! He must have gotten back and found her missing. She had to get back right away._

_"I have to go," she spoke out for the first time, turning around with the baby bird still in her hands. _

_She could hear Christy telling her good-bye as she made her way back to the woods, preparing herself to try and shimmer back instead of walking the distance. After trying, she had been successful in her attempt._

Lana took a deep breath and sighed. She walked over to the area of the floor that held the part of the memory that made her shudder ...

_Dumain was angry. Very angry, observed young Lana. Her small lips began to quiver as she fought hard not to make herself cry. That would only make things worse. No, she had to show she could be strong like him._

_He approached her and slapped her across the face. The impact sent a stinging sensation through her cheek. She brought one small hand up to cover that side of her face while struggling to cradle the bird with her free arm._

_"You have been told never to wander away without my permission! Where have you been? Did anybody see you?" he hollered with a piercing screech. Then, he finally caught sight of the small animal, huddled in her arm. "And what is that?" he demanded in disgust. _

_"A bird," she declared without hesitation, as she used both hands to hold it out before him. "I thought we could help it to fly," she explained._

_Dumain stared at the small child after her proclamation registered in his brain. A sneer appeared on his face before bringing his hand up to knock it out of her hands. Lana looked down in shock as Dumain brought his foot up and stomped on the injured bird, it's blood splattering across parts of the floor. Her small eyes widened in shock before she remembered to cover up her reaction. Quickly, she did so as a blank look registered on her face. However, inside, she really felt like crying._

_"There!" he announced with sickening pride. "See! Now, it doesn't have to worry about flying anymore," he declared. _

_Lana swallowed. Dumain bent his head down in front of hers, coming face-to-face with her. His eyes locking with her own wide-eyed stare._

_"Let me be clear about something," he continued on. "There are only two types that exist in this world and the next. There are the hunters," he paused for a dramatic effect "And then there's the prey. Those who choose to live a mortal existence are the prey. You'll do well to remember that, Lana!"_

**(Memory Flashback Ends)**

And remember she did. That one incident was her initiation into a world that would be void of any type of emotional ties or connections. It started out as a game of survival for her. At first, the feelings continued to resurface but she would force them down. When Dumain began taking her on his killing sprees, the squeamish feelings within the pit of her stomach would always accompany her. But, only in the beginning. Slowly, that survival instinct that required her to put effort into burying emotions became effortless. A blank wall was constructed over time until finally she felt nothing. And as she got older and watched Dumain take human life, she felt nothing at all. She no longer spent her time dwelling on why she was different from other kids. The need to connect and be like other kids disappeared. Her questions and thoughts about her parentage were pushed into the recesses of her mind as her primary thought function became, _kill or be killed! Take what you need in order to survive. Do what you are told in order to survive._

It wasn't until many years later that Lana came to understand the truth behind Dumain's long absences. He had, in fact, bartered her to the Underworld because part of her origins traced back to the powerful and unstoppable Triad. He had brought his plan before the members and when they finally agreed to the conditions, it was only then that they had secured a permanent place in the Underworld. Up until that point, Dumain had chosen the abandoned shed to reside in because it had been the safest location to observe the children from a distance. Christy and Billie. The same little girls she had met in the playground that one day. Apparently, their mother had frequented that particular park with them alot and Dumain had been keeping an eye on them for some time until he had been ready to make his move. The two children had been an important part of making his plan succeed. Lana could still remember the day that young Christy had been brought into the depths of the Underworld, with her not so imaginary friend, completely frightened and alone.

The blood stains had faded over time but they were still visible on that wood surface of the shed floor. Lana stared at it before sitting down. Now that some of those old feelings were resurfacing, what was she suppose to do? She honestly had no idea where to begin because she had in fact, known nothing about her mortal ties. Would complete strangers even accept her now, especially if they knew about the other half of her? Maybe she, too, really was like the baby bird found in the playground that day. Just another worthless life with a mom that never wanted her to begin with. Part of her still felt the need to embrace the old ways of the hunter, like Dumain had worded it; however, that buried, mortal part of her had awoken again. And she hadn't meant to feel that way but even while she was pretending to be Christy earlier in the year, the desire to connect with the mortal world was always present.

However, Lana was pulled from her vulnerable state of mind the very instant she noticed the presence of blue and white orbs appear before her. Quickly, she stood to her feet preparing to defend herself against the intruder until she remembered she left open a connection on purpose. There, before her, stood JD.

"I give up," he answered rather sullenly. "Just help me get Billie back and I'll do whatever you need me to," he relented.

The two of them stood staring at each other.

**ooooo**

Prue strolled into the attic, finding two sisters instead of three, awaiting her arrival. Paige was the only one of them absent. She noted that while walking over to stand by her other sisters.

"Hey," she offered with a deep sigh.

Both Piper and Phoebe looked over in her direction when they heard her greeting. Prue stopped to stand beside Phoebe, placing both hands at her sides. Piper stood across from them behind the table.

"Hey, you're back!" Phoebe was the first one to comment. She offered her sister a warm and supportive smile. "How did it go?"

"It's Miss _415 Magazine_, everybody!" Piper teased, while writing on some pieces of paper.

Prue smiled faintly in return. "Yeah, sorry, I really didn't mean to run this late," she apologized. "But that stupid interview didn't even start when it was suppose to. And I got stuck waiting all that time for nothing!"

After hearing the exasperated tone coming from her sister's voice, Piper lifted her head and looked directly at Prue. "Oh no," she strung out, picking up right away that things didn't go so well. "So I take it that job is a _no go_?"

Prue released a laugh of frustration. "No, actually, that interview should have been a _no show_!" she attempted to joke back.

"Uh-oh! That bad, huh?" inquired Phoebe with a slight frown.

Prue turned to address Phoebe. "Define bad! That magazine has become nothing but a joke hiring someone like that to run it. I worked my butt off when I was there and you'd think that would count for something. That guy isn't even fit enough to run a marathon, let alone a magazine!"

Piper and Phoebe both took a glance at each other. Each one of them trying very hard to suppress the urge to laugh.

Prue noticed and then closed her eyes. "Okay," she confessed. "So that's kind of a low blow. But, look, he really was a jerk!" Taking a deep breath, she reopened her eyes. "And here I am," she continued on. "The pitiful, widowed, jobless, has-been witch at your service," cracked Prue.

It was intended to be a joke aimed at cracking on herself; however, Prue was also being somewhat serious on the way she was feeling about her current state in life. Phoebe released a light laugh while reaching out to pull her sister closer to her. She rested her head against Prue's.

"Yeah. But, you're our pitiful, widowed, jobless, has-been witch," Phoebe mimicked back in a joking fashion, pouting her lips, in a serious attempt to get Prue to lighten up on herself. "And we love you anyway. Right?" she addressed Piper.

"Yup!" came Piper's simple, one-worded response. She was engaged with preparing some of the potion mixtures while they were teasing Prue. "Although, I really wouldn't be so quick to jump to the widowed part just yet. Leo's working on that for ya!"

Prue crinkled up her nose in response to the playful banter directed at her. "Yeah, thanks," she mocked back, with a light roll of her eyes. Gently, she pulled back and away from Phoebe. "Because just being pitiful and jobless will get me so much further."

Both Piper and Phoebe laughed this time around.

"Honey, relax!" Phoebe instructed her big sister. "You'll find something, don't worry. And, I mean, it's not like your homeless or anything," she tried to offer up on the bright side. "Besides, being a witch IS a full-time job," she stressed.

"Amen to that!" agreed Piper. "If we got paid for every demon we vanquished, I swear we'd be instant millionaires by now!"

Phoebe laughed. "Hey, now there's an idea Prue," she cracked. "Maybe Fangoria magazine is looking for new photographers. You could bring your camera along on our next vanquish. Let the public see what a real horror is all about."

In a playful manner, Prue smacked Phoebe's arm. And Phoebe continued to laugh. "Hey, I'm kidding," she lifted her arms up in defense.

"Well, please _kid_ your way over here to help me," Piper gently interjected. "Both of you. We've got some serious work to do before we're the ones that wind up vanquished!"

Piper had already taken the initiative to divide the ingredients up for each potion. As Prue and Phoebe flanked her at each side, she handed each of them a set of ingredients and a paper listing the function of the potion and which demons were affected by it the most. Phoebe was already familiar with her list and most of the information but the purpose of this exercise was for Prue to become familiar too. Prue skimmed over her own piece of paper. She was currently holding a list that described certain potions that enhanced certain powers while fighting demons. Powers they may not individually possess on their own. One potion was an imitation of Piper's power that would cause demons to explode. Another potion was a glamouring potion. It would allow her to change her appearance when necessary. _That's actually pretty amazing, _Prue had thought.

"Uh, we can work on using our active powers together once Paige gets back," Piper volunteered, as she looked between her two sisters.

"Goodie," cracked Prue, taking in a deep intake of air.

However, the session was cut short by the sudden reappearance of Paige. She orbed back into the attic, a very serious expression plastered across her face. All three sisters turned their attention to her when the orbs materialized in front of them. Paige immediately stepped forward to address all three of them.

"You guys, I think Billie's in some serious trouble," she announced and somewhat out of breath.

**ooooo**

Billie struggled with focusing all her energy into projecting her freedom. She had been attempting this for hours with very little success. All her frustration was finally catching up with her and she groaned, deciding to give up.

_It's no use, _she argued. _Those Stones heard my entire dream and Gideon must have them blocking my magic now. It's official, I'm so dead!_

However, a shuffling sound finally caught her attention and signaled to her that someone most likely just entered the cavern again. _Great, Gideon! _she automatically assumed. _And here comes round two! Or is it three or four by now? Ah, who even cares. I've lost count!_

"Who's there?" she called out into the open, expecting one of Gideon's many retorts to come flying back her way. Although, the response she received in return was anything but what she had been expecting.

"Shh," came a low, sounding whisper.

Billie felt an eerie sense of familiarity overtake her but who could it be? _Okay, maybe I'm finally losing it, _she reasoned. _I probably only thought I heard that. _However, the paralyzing sensation that had covered her entire body was fading slowly and feeling settled back into her legs. The stones must have been moved away from her. Slowly, Billie attempted to move some of her limbs and while they felt stiff and sore, she could at least apply some minor movement to them. _Oh thank you! _she began praising._ Thank you, thank you, thank you!_

As Billie attempted to sit up, she could feel the stiffness in her shoulders and back. She grimaced from the pain and she instantly felt another arm come to her aid and assist her off of the ground. That's when she finally came face to face with her rescuer.

"JD!" she screeched. Instantly, she grabbed for him and pulled him into a tight squeeze. "I can't believe it's you! You saved my life!" she praised him, while holding on to him for dear life.

JD stood with his eyes closed while holding onto her tightly, a smile of extreme relief spreading across his face, but a smile she couldn't see. He was just so grateful that she was alive and that he hadn't been lured into some trap, only to find her dead. He would not have been able to handle something like that. Billie wanted to be friends and he would respect that, but JD realized he had been falling in love with her. So any close contact with her made it hard on him.

Gently, he pulled back from her. He cupped the sides of her head and placed a loving kiss on her forehead. "We need to get out of here, came his quick reply back. He reached out for her, attempting to drag her along. "Now!"

"Wait! How did you even find me ... " but her sentence drifted off when she finally took sight of the woman standing in the background. JD turned to follow her gaze as Billie clung to his arm, while pulling both of them backwards.

"Billie, uh, wait ..." he began but was cut off instantly.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Billie demanded to know. "Stay away from me, I know you're not really my sister," she informed the young woman standing before them.

Billie suddenly erupted into a coughing frenzy. She made a fist and brought it up against her mouth. Her throat was even drier than before, her body was dehydrated, and she desperately needed some water.

Lana pulled out the water bottle they had brought, stepped forward, and handed it over to JD. Billie was hunched over, trying to get control of her coughing spurts. JD rested his hand against her back as reached out to offer her the bottle. She grabbed for it and quickly began gulping it down. Then, she took a moment to replenish her oxygen supply through closing her eyes and taking in some very deep breaths of air. After gathering her composure, she turned to address JD once more.

"What are you doing here with her?" she demanded. "She's a demon! Do you realize you could have gotten yourself killed?"

"Half," JD tried correcting her.

Fortunately for Billie but unfortunately for him, Lana had upheld her end of the bargain thus far; therefore, he knew he would be obligated to uphold his part. JD had listened to the tale that she shared with him earlier. Hopefully, helping her to unearth her mortal ties would be all she wanted from him.

"What?" Billie questioned back, feeling lost, and missing his point.

"Half-demon," he elaborated. "Lana's half-mortal and half-demon."

"Oh! Okay!" Billie mocked, rolling her eyes. "My mistake. She's only half-demon. Ya know, I feel so much safer than I did just a moment ago," she cracked. "JD, are you serious? Half-human or not this woman is a fraud. A demon. She pretended to be my sister so the Triad could kill me and my family. Or someone else looking like her did," she shook her head, feeling a bit confused on that part. "But whatever! That's not Christy. In fact, I don't care who she is!"

Lana smirked. "It was me, Billie!" she admitted willingly. She watched as the shock registered on the young witch's face. "See, when you vanquished me, it was only for a short time. I can't be vanquished, I'm unvanquishable. Part of me is the Triad!"

"What?" came Billie's astonished response. _Okay. When I thought demon I definitely hadn't been expecting that!_

"But," Lana continued. "With a little help from JD over there, which he's promised to do," she stressed, staring in his direction. "That might not be a problem for very long."

In a defensive stance, Billie crossed her arms as she turned to glare at him. She didn't say a word and gave him the opportunity to challenge Lana's words. But JD brought his head down and broke away from her intense stare.

"She's the only reason I found you," JD admitted with a sigh. "I'm sorry. But I had to promise. There was no other way!" he defended himself.

Billie closed her eyes and shook her head. "No other way, JD? Helping her is probably a trap. Why didn't you just go to my family for help?" she pleaded with him.

"Look. Can we just get out of here, please?" JD responded, taking a nervous glance around. "We can argue about it later. This entire cavern is protected by dark magic. And your family NEVER would have found you here!" he added with emphasis. "Taking you was a trap set for them. Not me!"

Lana took a glance at the stones, still lying on the dirt ground. _Too bad the magic sealing this cavern is protecting them too, _she reflected. _They would have helped me alot. _Because they were protected by the dark magic, Lana knew they couldn't be removed and taken from the cavern except by Gideon. Who could return at any moment.

"Uh-Em!" she coughed, in order to grab their immediate attention. "Look," she replied smugly. "I hate to break up this little love fest, but if Gideon walks in on it, none of us are getting out of here alive. My advice? Carry on with this elsewhere. So. If you'll excuse me, I'm outta' here."

As she turned on her heels and left the cavern, the last comment being thrown back at them was directed at JD. "And we'll be in touch!"

"C'mon," panicked Billie. "She's right, we need to get out of here. Gideon could come back at any time!" Grabbing for JD's hand, they exited the cavern together only to find that Lana was already long gone.

"You can orb us back to the Manor?" she inquired. "The rest of my family needs to know about Gideon and what he's planning on doing!"

Those were the final words shared between them as Billie latched onto JD and he orbed them from out of the dark, Underworld layer. As far as Billie was concerned, it would be too soon for her to ever come back here.

**ooooo **

The three women stared at Paige until Phoebe finally broke the silence.

"Okay, Paige, how do you know that?" she interrogated, worry gnawing inside her gut. She walked away from the table to stand in front of her sister. "Did you talk to her?"

Paige groaned. "No! What I mean is she wasn't there. Her room mate said she hasn't been back there for days. In fact, she just assumed she came back home here. And she hasn't even been to any of her classes this week. Of course, I quickly covered up by lying. I said Billie was sick and staying with us."

Piper listened to the discussion and quickly glanced over at Prue. Since the truth had come out, her sister hadn't shared much about any of her feelings when it came to Billie or Andy. Prue was still adjusting to everything and they didn't want to push her to discuss anything she wasn't comfortable talking about. However, that could pose a future problem because Piper knew Prue had the tendency to bury the painful parts of her past and pretend to move on with life as if those events didn't bother her. But they did and it was like pulling teeth to get her to confront and deal with her emotions. However, Piper had caught the worried look that passed across her sister's face. There had been a mixed look of guilt and anxiety for a split second before her face became an unreadable mask once again.

"Prue, she'll be alright," Piper offered with a touch of finality, as if there was no room to argue it. Prue looked up at her to meet her gaze. "She's strong, like you."

Prue released a sheepish smile. All three sisters brought and kept their attention towards her. "Sure," she answered back. "Whatever you guys say, right? I mean, the three of you know her way better than I do!"

Phoebe walked over to offer her support. "That's going to change," she refuted against her sister's last statement. She reached out to hug Prue. "This isn't your fault, Prue. And she's still your daughter no matter what. It's never too late."

Phoebe's power of empathy had sprung to life as Prue's emotions gave off like a sounding board. She could feel all the emotions as if they were her own. The most prominent emotion was the guilt. Prue felt like this had been her fault. If she hadn't returned in the first place, Billie wouldn't have been uprooted from the Manor. Which meant, she probably would have remained safe. Secondly, she felt the guilt of not being able to remember her own daughter. Prue couldn't offer Billie any closure, she couldn't give her reassurance that at one time she had been loved by her, and she definitely couldn't answer any questions. This brought on the feeling of confusion that was present as well. She was confused about how to even relate to a grown daughter she knew nothing about. Prue didn't want to force a relationship on the poor girl. After all, she was practically a stranger. It was different with Molly. The two of them had bonded before and after birth. They had an evolving mother-daughter relationship that started at birth and would continue to grow.

"Yeah, listen Prue. If it's anyone's fault it's mine!" Paige offered, taking the blame, her own guilt eating away at her. "I'm her whitelighter. I should have picked up that something was wrong. So I'm sorry," she apologized.

Prue listened to Paige apology but also felt side-tracked with how embarrassing it felt that Phoebe had been able to read her like an open book. Although she appreciated all the reassurance from her sisters, her pride still won out in the end. She wasn't going to appear weak or vulnerable.

"Look, you guys. I appreciate the support and everything but I'm not falling apart over here," she protested gently. "Really! Let's just find her and make sure she's okay," she instructed. "And, Paige?" she added. "This isn't your fault. I don't blame you."

Paige issued a small smile back then walked over to the table to be closer to her sisters. Phoebe and Piper both acknowledged Prue's determined posture. They both sighed and turned their attention back to rescuing Billie. There was no point in arguing with her about it.

"Alright," began Piper. "So Billie has been missing from campus," she confirmed. "And we know for sure that she hasn't been here at the manor. And she hasn't been to either of your places so that leaves the Underworld."

Quickly, Piper reached for the map and the scrying tools. She handed one to each of her sisters and then spread the map out on the empty area of the table. The four women huddled closely together as they each attempted to scry for a possible location on Billie. Then, suddenly, the Book's pages began flipping on their own as it landed on a page of its choosing.

"Whoa, what's going on?" announced Phoebe.

"So. The Book still does that, huh?" Prue smirked, remembering a few instances when that had happened in her presence.

At the same time, both Piper and Paige bent over to read what the Book had opened itself up to. However, confusion graced the faces of both women.

"The summoning spell?" Piper questioned. "I fail to see how that's going to help us unless she's dead!" cracked Piper. "Which she's not," she quickly reaffirmed, glancing at Prue.

"Yeah, I don't get why it stopped there," commented Paige. "Unless it's going to summon somebody from the afterlife that knows where she is?" Paige shrugged her shoulders.

Prue thought for a moment until a thought struck her. "Hey, isn't there some kind of spell in there to summon a lost witch?" she inquired. "Maybe it wanted to stop there?" she suggested.

Phoebe sighed. "Yeah, there is but usually the Book stops where it's suppose to. I think we should just go with it and see what happens."

All four sisters looked to each other before they moved in closer to form a small huddle. Piper picked up the Book as she and Prue stood side by side, each grasping one end of the Book. Paige flanked Piper's side while Phoebe stood next to Prue. Then, the sisters began to recite the spell together ...

_"Hear these words, Hear my cry, Spirit from the Other Side, I call to thee, I summon thee, Cross now the Great Divide!" _they finished in unison.

A gust of wind could be felt as a pair of white orbs separated from a pair of blue and white orbs. There, in the middle of the attic, formed a woman and a man beside her. Two people that all the sisters were familiar with.

"Mom!" Piper and Phoebe cried out simultaneously.

"Dad!" came Paige's cry, following her sisters' reactions.

Prue locked eyes with the woman standing before them. Patty's eyes misted over at the sight of her eldest daughter standing before her, back home where she belonged.

Almost instantly, Paige concluded why they were both here. Together. They had come to share the news about Prue with all of them. _Great, this couldn't have come at worse time, _she concluded as she looked back and forth between her parents and her sisters. She wanted the truth to come out but not while they were all stressed out about Billie.

Paige looked up to the heavens, closed her eyes, and then shook her head.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Alright, another chapter is done. Sorry I can't keep my updates on a specific time-table right now, like I wanted to, but I will continue to post as I finish. I hope you liked the chapter and please don't forget to review.

**Coming Up ... **the truth about Prue is revealed, Leo and Coop are summoned away by the Afterlife Council to determine Andy's fate, Gideon is finally unmasked and Piper falls victim to an unexpected accident. **Stay Tuned ... **


	25. A Little Chaos Always Hurts!

**Author's Note: **I'm back with the next chapter. Also, sorry for the long stretch but my busy schedule has made it difficult for me to find time to continue writing. Unfortunately, we all know that other priorities come first in life. But I will continue to write and post this story as my free time permits. I fully intend to stick with it until its end but I can't stick to any specific schedules for posting right now. Once again, I apologize for that inconvenience and I hope you don't lose interest, lol.

Anyway, allow me to offer a quick thanks to all my reviewers from the last chapter but without further delay here is the next chapter to **Revelations of the Ultimate Kind ... **

* * *

**Chapter 24: A Little Chaos Always Hurts!**

Sound. What is the definition again? Oh yes, it's the thing that results from the stimulation of auditory nerves as vibrations hit the air. Or, one could also opt to use the word sound-waves in place of vibrations. Simply put? Sound-waves hit the air leading to our sense of hearing. However, during this particular moment in time, all sound was virtually stagnant.

Paige had no idea why her brain shifted gears into scientific mode to assess the current state she found herself in. Heck, she didn't even like science. However, somewhere from the back of her mind, that definition was pulled because it seemed applicable to describe what it felt like to be standing in the attic. Perhaps, it's just a way to emotionally disconnect herself from the chaos surely about to erupt at any second once the revelation became known? Or maybe the feeling is just all in her head? Who knows.

Paige's gaze continued to shift between her sisters and her parents. After the initial shock of their presence had registered, everyone stood silently. The only form of communication was by sight. It was pretty evident to Paige that the one question on Piper and Phoebe's mind was why they were here together? Not that they didn't enjoy seeing their mother, but visitations from the afterlife weren't exactly bringing the most positive outlooks these days.

_How should I react? __Surprised? Shocked like my sisters will be? Or should I just admit the truth? Which is, by accident, I stumbled upon the truth shortly before this? _

Paige looked up to the heavens, closing her eyes, and shook her head in frustration. When she reopened her eyes, she witnessed a tearful Patty slowly making her way in the direction of her oldest sister. Prue.

"Prue," whispered Patty as she walked forward and, through one swift motion, engulfed her eldest daughter within her arms.

The sound of heavy emotion passed from Prue's uttered name and into the same hug she now found herself participating in. Conflicted feelings arose from the pit of Prue's stomach but at the same time she felt at peace. Like she was finally home. And that's when most of the memories came flooding back to her. Memories of a childhood without her mom, serving as a surrogate mother to Piper and Phoebe while growing up, all the moments she longed for a mother to be a part of her life, sharing moments in time with Patty as a Charmed One, and finally the deal made with Gideon.

"Mom!" Prue exclaimed. Almost of their own volition, tears surfaced in her eyes. With her eyes wide open and filled with emotion, she tightened the embrace.

Gently, Patty pulled back and cupped the sides of her daughter's face. She smiled with tears still glistening in her eyes. "Baby, it's so good to have you back home. I'm so sorry," her voice cracked in the middle of her apology.

"So am I," Prue admitted while all the hidden pain began to surface as she returned her mother's gaze. At this moment, both sets of eyes glistened with tears.

"I know," Patty uttered with a faint smile and a slight nod of her head while pulling her hands away from her daughter's face.

Neither mother nor daughter needed to go any further in explaining what was meant behind their apologies. After all, both felt responsible for the pain caused to the others, just in different ways. Besides, Prue wasn't about to blame her mother for something she willingly agreed to, albeit to protect her sisters' lives at the time. And in truth, she actually preferred her sisters to blame her rather than their mother because even if Patty hadn't given her consent to the decision, Prue knew herself well enough to know she would have done it anyway.

All three sisters stood watching the emotional scene with apparent interest. After a brief glance at the scene before him, Sam smiled sadly before sighing and averting his gaze to the ground. However, his reaction did not go unnoticed by the sisters and Piper suddenly took on a quizzical expression. Then, she turned to look at Phoebe who in return gave her a slight shrug to signal she was just as confused about Sam's presence as Piper was.

"Uh, Mom?" Piper finally questioned. "Not that it isn't good to see you, but what are you doing here? And with Sam?"

Piper still felt conflicted knowing her mother had supported the idea of keeping them in the dark about Prue. It hurt to find out that just a few simple words of honesty, from the one woman she loved and missed her entire life, could have ended so much pain and suffering. And as tempted as she was to confront her mother about it, this wasn't the time nor the place to get into it. Not when Billie's life was at stake. But, she had a feeling that there was still more to come as she shifted her gaze between her mother and Sam waiting for an answer to her questions.

Patty sighed as she looked between all four of her daughters noticing she had their full attention. So she turned around and walked beside Sam. Gently, she reached out for his hand, needing every ounce of support she could to get her through this admission. Sam responded by gently squeezing her hand to offer reassurance that he was there to help her get through it.

"Well," Patty began tentatively. "It's no secret that you girls have been kept in the dark about alot. And I realize that most of it seems pretty unfair. For all of you in different ways." She looked at each daughter as she emphasized that last sentence. "But, please, we want you to understand that none of it was ever done with the intent of hurting any of you," she pleaded.

"Mom!" Phoebe interjected gently with her hand up in the air. "Please. Throughout the past few weeks alone, we've encountered enough drama and suspense to last us a life time. Whatever needs to be said please just come out and say it. Then we'll deal with it!"

Phoebe didn't want to sound cold or insensitive, least of all to their deceased mother, but the truth was that her empathic pull was yanking her in so many different directions right now. In addition to her own feelings of confusion, she was dealing with an array of built-up emotions from everyone else in the room. It was penetrating her senses all at once and it was beginning to drive her crazy. Especially, when everybody was currently on edge about Billie.

Patty nodded her head and continued. "I know. And I'm sorry about all that. All that your Grams and I ever wanted to do was keep you girls safe." She paused, took a deep breath, and looked to Sam. He nodded for her to continue. "Which is why Sam and I agreed that it would be better for nobody to know that he was Prue's real father!"

In that moment, looks of shock registered on the faces of all who were on the receiving end of the secret.

**ooooo**

As they orbed in under the blue sky and bright sun, Billie immediately squinted her eyes. She had been inside the dark underworld cavern for days and her eyes needed a moment to adjust to the bright light.

"Hey, are you okay?" JD inquired as he reached a hand out to steady her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a minute," answered Billie. She bent over, her hands resting against her knees, as she reopened her eyes to focus her sight on the ground. Slowly, her posture became upright again as she looked around at the familiar surroundings.

JD followed her gaze. "So," he began. "Why did you want to come here? What is this place?" he finally asked.

At the last minute, Billie had insisted that they change their destination from the Manor to this backyard. Why? He still had no clue. He watched as Billie began walking in the direction of a big tree and he followed closely behind her.

"Because, first, there's something important I need to find and bring back with me," she answered back as she reached her destination. She stopped at the tree and bent down in front of the trunk. She ran her hands on top of the hard ground covered with grass. "Damn. It's not hollow! I guess digging with my hands is out of the question."

JD shook his head in confusion. "I don't understand. What are you looking for?" he asked with a quizzical expression.

Billie stood back up. Without answering his question, she began looking around for any signs of something that could be of assistance.

"If only we had a shovel," she mumbled just loud enough for JD to overhear.

"A shovel?," he questioned. "Billie, where are we? Why would you need a shovel?"

This time she looked him straight in the eyes. "I use to live here," she answered. "When my sister disappeared and before my parents were killed. But before my sister was kidnapped, we buried something in the ground and it's very important that evil never gets its hands on it. I have to get it back to the _Charmed Ones_. They need it to constitute the _Ultimate Power_!"

"Oh!" came JD's one-worded response.

Billie looked around once again until her attention landed on the double doors leading into the basement of the house. "There!" she announced and pointed at the same time.

"Billie, wait!" JD shouted out as Billie ran towards the cellar entrance without hesitation.

Quickly, he ran to catch up with her.

**ooooo**

After the initial shock had worn off, both Patty and Sam watched as a variety of emotions swirled across the faces of all the girls as realization finally replaced the shock.

Paige felt a surge of relief pass through her being. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath of air. Finally, she didn't have to carry the weight of being the only one to know that secret. However, she quickly acknowledged that just because she felt relieved didn't mean her sisters were going to deal with the truth that easily. After all, she had time to get over the initial shock of the revelation and accept the situation for what it was. Quickly, she turned her attention to Prue who stood with her arms crossed and with a questioning expression. Then, her gaze averted over to Piper and Phoebe. Piper stood with a blank expression on her face so she couldn't quite read her. But Phoebe, on the other hand, appeared ready to challenge the claim.

"Excuse me?" Phoebe finally broke the silence. She released a small, tension-filled laugh while shaking her head simultaneously. "Are you trying to say that Sam is really Prue's father? No way," she added, somewhat in denial at the shocking news. "I mean, what about Dad?"

Patty looked to Prue before attempting to answer Phoebe's question.

"Victor knows the truth," she admitted. "He's always known that he wasn't Prue's biological father. Shortly after Sam and I separated to keep Prue safe, I met Victor. Your father. He was a good man. When I told him I was pregnant, he made the decision to stay by my side and support me. I was grateful because I couldn't have Sam there!"

"Couldn't?" Phoebe asked, seeking clarification behind that meaning.

"Yes, couldn't," Patty reaffirmed for her second middle daughter. "The Elders found out about our relationship when I became pregnant with Prue. The only way to keep Prue was to make an agreement with them. We both agreed to part ways and never see each other again."

Phoebe huffed in disgust. "Uh, yeah, an arrangement you obviously broke otherwise none of us would be standing here looking at Paige right now," she used a wave of her hand to gesture in the direction of their youngest sister.

"Phoebe," Prue scolded upon catching the momentary flinching reaction made by Paige.

Phoebe crossed her arms and addressed Prue. "Look, it's not a dig at Paige or anything but the fact is that Mom didn't just risk you when she had her. How about what that could have meant for us?" she defended as she made reference to both her and Piper.

Prue crossed her arms and shook her head. "Phoebe, stop it!"

"No, Prue! I won't stop it!" Phoebe immediately objected. "We have enough to deal with as it is. The Triad is coming after us and how many more times are we going to have to halt everything because another family secret needs to jump back out at us from the afterlife! C'mon. Are you honestly going to stand there and tell me that you're okay with this?"

Prue's frustration was mounting. A heated argument was about to erupt if someone didn't intervene quickly. "No, but I can't believe you're going to stand over there and play it off like this secret actually has anything to do with you!"

Up until that moment, Prue had remained silent trying to absorb the sudden truth regarding her paternity. But, the fact was that she couldn't shoulder anymore guilt right now about what her and Paige's birth could have meant for the other two sisters. Because, she remembered the forbidden rule pertaining to whitelighters and their charges all too well. She had witnessed the struggles that Piper and Leo had to go through in order to be together and the memories were seeping their way back into the forefront of her mind.

"HA! Right. Please, like you're one who has any right to be talking about secrets," Phoebe retorted. "How many years was it before you popped back up in our lives again?"

Patty heaved a sigh of guilt. She looked to Sam who only looked back with a fore-lorn expression of his own. Then, she turned her attention back to her daughters. "Girls?" she tried interjecting.

Her plea went ignored.

"Apparently, not enough!" Prue countered back at her sister's last remark.

Paige swallowed and began to fidget nervously as she watched the growing argument begin to fester between both her sisters. It was amazing how one revelation, in which neither sister held accountability for, gave birth to hidden resentments and the ways of old. Paige had a good hunch that she was now a witness to one of the infamous Prue/Phoebe showdowns from the past. Halliwell life before she had entered the picture. And if Phoebe's comebacks were any indication, she was definitely harboring buried resentment at Prue's decision to fake her death. Despite all her claims of wanting to move forward with the future.

"Hey, guys, stop!" Paige tried to interject this time. "Before somebody says something they'll regret later. This isn't getting us anywhere."

Like her mother's before her, Paige's plea also went ignored.

Phoebe released an insidious laugh. "Well, Prue, there's the door. And there's another one downstairs. Don't let them hit you on the way out!"

Prue was about to respond when her attempt to do so was suddenly countered by an unexpected participant.

"HEY!" came the loud, masculine voice that penetrated the air, for several seconds, above the fighting sisters.

Finally, it was the one intervention successful in breaking the cycle of mounting tension in the room. All the sisters remained silent and focused their attention on the man standing beside their mother. The same mother who's face featured an expression of defeat. Sam released a sigh before he continued.

"If there's anyone in this room that any of you should be directing your anger at, it's at the two people standing right here," he announced, indicating himself and Patty. "We broke the rules, we kept the secrets, and our actions created the circumstances that led to other things none of you should have had to go through. But, please, don't turn on each other. Not now. You're still sisters and life and time are too precious to waste. Believe us. We should know," he stressed, taking a glance at Patty.

The four sisters remained somber and with solemn expressions glanced at each other while they digested the meaning behind Sam's spoken words. Phoebe was the first one to return her attention to their mother and break through the silence.

"Is that why you and Dad broke up?" she asked out of the blue. Her mind had been spinning with assumptions since the revelation had been revealed.

A questioning look crossed Patty's face. She didn't quite comprehend where her daughter's train of thought was going. "Is _what_ the reason we broke up?"

Phoebe exhaled her breath and with it a large amount of pent-up agitation. "Because Sam was Prue's father," she attempted to clarify. "You said you weren't suppose to see Sam ever again. Because of Prue. Before he left, Dad was raising Prue. You and Dad separated. Did Dad know Sam was her father?"

"Phoebe, your father and I had other problems besides Sam," she stressed. Then, she closed her eyes while taking in a deep breath. "But, in answer to your question, no! At first, Victor didn't know about Sam. All that I had told him was that Prue's father had gone away and was never coming back. So, Victor just made the assumption that he had abandoned us."

"But he found out, right?" she pushed.

Patty looked her daughter straight in the eyes. A sudden protective nature had arisen from within Phoebe and it was directed at her father. Perhaps, it was born from the recent years Victor had spent making up for lost time. Which was actually a good thing. In addition to her passing, it had been extra hard on her daughters to grow up without a father as well.

"Yes, Phoebe. He found out when Sam came back into my life," she admitted. "And, at first, he was upset. But that never affected how he felt about you girls. And that includes you too, Prue," she stressed as she gazed upon her eldest daughter. "Despite all of his flaws, all of his mistakes, he always considered you his daughter just as much as he did Piper or Phoebe!"

Prue remained completely silent as her mind continued to absorb the newest revelation. Sam, their mother's former whitelighter, was her father. And Victor? The man she spent many years of her life resenting? And the same man she had pretended not to give a damn about for so long? Well, it turned out that he never owed her a damn thing to begin with. In truth, she questioned how to feel. After all, while growing up, a close father-daughter relationship wasn't a prominent part of her life. Therefore, it's not like she was having that ripped away from her, Prue reasoned. And granted, she recently acknowledged that she had many unresolved issues with Victor in that department but apparently it was for naught. Technically, it now appeared that he was never even obligated to be there for her in the first place. In that moment, the realization felt a bit unsettling to her and if she wanted to be completely truthful, it stung.

"Prue?" her mother pleaded gently, looking for a reaction. Any reaction.

However, Prue didn't respond back. Instead, her mind drifted to a time and place from the past while casting her eyes to the ground completely lost in memories ...

**(Memory Flashback #1)**

_"Prudence, please eat your breakfast," came the stern reprimand from Grams. "You're going to be late for school!"_

_Eight-year old Prue fiddled with her toast, dropping it back on her plate before bringing her hand up to rub at her tired eyes. "I don't want to go to school today. I'm tired!" she complained._

_Penny was in the process of clearing the breakfast remains of her two youngest granddaughters who also sat at the kitchen table. After emptying the discarded food into the trash basket and placing the dishes into the sink, she looked over at her oldest granddaughter. She knew that Prue hadn't been sleeping well since Patty's passing which was completely understandable. But, her nightmares had been ongoing for six months now and it was interfering with her granddaughter's sleep._

_"Prue, honey, you can try and take a nap when you get home. But you can't miss another day of school," replied Grams with a sigh._

_"But the baby won't stop crying when I sleep," pleaded little Prue. "I think she's sad about mommy too," her young mind rationalized. "When the bad dreams come, I tell her to go away from me but she doesn't. So she gets scared too!"_

_Grams furrowed her brows in a worrisome fashion. "The baby, Prue?" she questioned. Was her granddaughter sensing the baby Patty gave away? _

**(Memory Flashback #2)**

_Young Prue and Piper stood at the edge of the river bank, throwing pebbles into the steady flow of passing water._

_"Look Daddy, I can see a fishy!" announced Prue in an excited manner, while pointing in the same direction she had been throwing rocks._

_Four-year old Piper squatted down on her legs in order to get a closer look. "It's orange!" her childish laugh sounded._

_Victor, who had taken the two girls camping for the weekend, bent down to see what had his two daughters so excited. Phoebe, the baby, was home with Patty for the weekend because she was teething and was experiencing a fever._

_"Wow, look at that!" replied Victor with a wide smile._

_"He's swimming away!" Prue sadly noted._

_Prue swung her arm around her father's neck as she stood to the side of him. Victor held her close to him as she bent over and kissed his cheek. _

**(Memory Flashback Ends)**

Prue couldn't explain why those two particular memories resurfaced during the moment. But they had and no matter what she thought about it didn't erase the implications. The first being that the one sister she shared complete blood ties with was practically a stranger to her. Sure, with time, they'd grow to know each other better. Piper and Phoebe had the past five years to get to know her. And then there was the second implication. The one that involved Victor. Suddenly, she felt herself at a loss on where to direct her feelings of misplaced anger. Or was it really misplaced at all, she questioned. After all, Victor did come to learn the truth eventually and he chose to keep it a secret too. He knew all along he wasn't her real father.

"Prue, honey, say something!" Patty pleaded a second time. "Please!"

"It's alright to be upset with us," added Sam.

Their voices broke her train of thought as she brought her eyes up to meet theirs. This really wasn't the time and place. Billie had to be their immediate focus and was the best excuse to put her emotions on the back-burner.

"I really don't know what you expect me to say," Prue admitted in a steady voice that was void of emotion. "And we don't have time for this now anyway. Not when Billie's life is on the line, so if you'll excuse us," she added as she turned back around, walking towards the table and Piper.

The three other sisters watched as Prue made it a point to avoid the issue but it was Piper who had remained completely quiet throughout most of the encounter. However, right now, standing behind the table with her arms crossed she felt numb. In an ironic twist of fate, it was no longer necessary for her to even confront her mother for an answer on why she had gone along with Gideon or with faking Prue's death. This new revelation brought the pieces together. As an Elder, Gideon must have known the truth about Prue and then used it to his advantage to make Grams and their mother fall in line. Somehow, he had discovered Paige and then used her existence to blackmail them into achieving his goal. The obliteration of an _Ultimate Power_.

"So Piper, where's that spell?" questioned Prue, as it penetrated Piper's thinking senses.

Her stare landed directly on Prue, who stood in front of her, skimming the Book of Shadows. However, she didn't answer the question. Instead, she continued to watch as her sister reverted into typical Prue mode, which was avoiding an emotional confrontation. Burying her feelings. And she had the perfect excuse to do it too. Because she was right, Billie was more important right now.

"The one to call a lost witch?" Prue reiterated when she didn't get a response. She looked up from the book and directly into Piper's eyes.

Piper broke her trance-like stare. "Right," she stated, while shaking her head. Pulling the Book of Shadows towards her, she flipped to the page. "Phoebe, Paige?" she called out to grab their attention. "We need to do this now."

Paige took one last glance in the direction of her parents. With forlorn expressions, they looked back and released weary smiles. She issued them a weak smile back and a small wave before uncrossing her arms and heading back in the direction of the table to help her sisters with the mission to help rescue Billie.

As the four sisters huddled together preparing to recite the spell, both Patty and Sam looked to each other and then towards the girls one final time before orbing from the attic.

**ooooo **

Billie and JD entered the dark basement step by step until they reached the hard, cemented floor. The cold draft caused Billie to shudder as she slowly made her way through the underground compartment. From the two, small windows, rays from the sun cast a small amount of light into the shadowy atmosphere providing a dimly lit effect.

JD walked ahead of Billie but as she walked between two wooden posts connected to basement ceiling, she made a face while pushing aside cobwebs that immediately stuck to her hands.

"Ewe, Gross!" she announced, rubbing her hands against her jeans. "I hate spiders."

Suddenly, something caught JD's attention. "Hey, over here!"

In the side corner of a wall, a shovel was indeed hidden within the shadows. As JD approached, he also took notice of some leftover boxes, an old toolbox set that had tools scattered across the floor, and finally what appeared to be some type of gardening equipment. He grabbed for the shovel and brought it in front of him.

"We're in luck!" he joked with a smile in a place.

Billie reached out for it. "Yeah. I only packed whatever was inside the house. I didn't get the chance to clean out the basement so I was hoping it was still down here. The other stuff just belonged to my dad and my mom use to plant flower beds in front of our house!"

"Sorry!" JD offered at the wistful tone displayed by Billie. However, Billie's composure quickly recovered.

"Nothing to be sorry about," she spoke up. "But, c'mon. Let's get to work. There's no time to be strolling down memory lane," she concluded as she turned around, heading back in the direction of the backyard.

JD followed Billie back outside and when they reached the tree, Billie slammed the shovel against the solid dirt with very little results. She attempted the same unsuccessful feat a couple more times before JD stepped forward and offered to take over.

"Here, let me," he offered as he extended his hand for the shovel.

"I can do it!" Billie persisted in a stubborn manner. However, each additional attempt was only met with more failure. "Damn it," she cursed to herself before finally giving up. She used her breath to blow a piece of hair from her face.

JD smiled at what appeared to be her petulant nature. "Can I give it a try?"

Reluctantly, Billie handed over the shovel. She watched as he placed all his strength into slamming his foot down on the shovel as it finally pierced the surface of the dirt ground. In a playful manner, she shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I so loosened that dirt for you," she announced, with a faint hint of a smile.

JD smiled as he proceeded to scoop piles of dirt from its place in the earth. "Sure!"

However, their playful banter was short-lived as Billie suddenly found herself encompassed within a flash of bright lights. And instantly, she was gone. JD, witnessing the event, immediately threw the shovel to the ground in a panic.

"Billie!"

**ooooo **

After each sister voluntarily contributed a drop of blood, they were ready to recite the spell. All four of the sisters having made a conscious decision to momentarily block out the events from just moments before.

"I hope this works, guys!" Phoebe announced. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she focused on placing all of her energy into the spell in order to give it the best chance at working with the rest of her sisters...

_"Powers of the witches rise, course unseen across the skies. Come to us we call you near, come to us and settle here. Blood to blood we summon thee. Blood to Blood return to me!"_

The four sisters felt the familiar breeze that would sometimes accompany the spell and almost instantly a young women appeared in bright lights, standing before them. As the lights faded away, they were able to identity the person brought to them.

"Oh my god, Billie!" Phoebe called out. She released a deep sigh of relief and ran over to pull her into a hug. Paige followed closely behind. "Thank god you're okay!"

"Yeah, we were worried," added Paige. "We know you said you needed space but you haven't been to class in a week. Your roommate said you haven't been back to your room and when I couldn't sense you ..." but Paige's rambling was cut short by Billie.

"Guys!" Billie announced, putting her hands up in the air. "Look, I'm really sorry you were worried but believe me when I say that everything is far from okay!" She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I was in the Underworld. That darklighter that's been going around killing off whitelighters cut a deal with the Triad."

"What?" interjected Piper, as she and Prue both stepped forward to join the other two sisters.

"Yeah, he kidnapped me from the dorm and brought me to them. But, JD found me. That's how I got away," Billie elaborated.

"Wait, how did JD find you?" Paige inquired.

Billie sighed, closed her eyes, and shook her head. "Long story but the darklighter isn't the worst of the news," she continued.

"He isn't?" Piper inquired with buldging eyes, preparing herself for what was obviously going to be some pretty bad news. "On a scale of one to ten, how shocked should a I prepare myself to be?," she tried joking.

"I don't know! Is there a thirteen anywhere on that scale?" Billie cracked back.

"Billie," Prue interjected. "Just spill it!" Her witch status may have just been restored days ago but the suspense was even getting to her.

Billie closed her eyes, shaking her hands in the air. "Okay, okay!" Then, there was another brief pause. "Gideon's alive!"

When nothing but silence met her declaration, she slowly opened her eyes to find four speechless women standing before her.

"Guys! Did you hear what I said? Gideon's alive. He's the unknown Triad member you've been trying to figure out!" she announced in further detail.

Finally, Phoebe was the first to speak out. "No, we heard you. We're just trying to figure out if it really was the Underworld you paid a visit to or did you just bump your head and enter the afterlife," she cracked in denial, with a dramatic nod of her head. "Billie, Gideon's dead. Although, I suppose the underworld would be a more appropriate setting for his soul considering everything he did!"

Phoebe looked towards her other sisters who all appeared torn on whether to take that particular revelation seriously. Suddenly remembering the last remark made by Billie, she turned back to address her again.

"Wait ... did you just say Triad?" she questioned.

"Yes. He's one of them. I don't know how but he is. And he has these Stones or whatever that are helping him out. I think that's how that darklighter's been able to use some of those powers he shouldn't even have," Billie explained.

Prue listened intently to the information Billie supplied. "Stones? What kind of stones?" she asked. "And how to you know that?"

"Because he used them on me to keep me caged in. At some point, I think I heard them called Victorian or Vicerian or something like that! And they're pretty powerful whatever they are. They were able to block any of my magic from getting through," remarked Billie.

The four sisters looked between each other unsure of what this all meant.

"Um, Billie," Piper finally addressed her niece as calmly as she could. "You've never even met Gideon before. How can you be so sure that it's the same one?"

Piper couldn't help but cling onto a small glimmer of hope that what was being interfered was merely a coincidence. However, something else entirely different clenched at her rapidly beating heart because somewhere in the recesses of her mind she knew it made complete sense. It fit with the entire picture. Molly's abduction over a year ago, how the Triad knew where to find Prue, and the Triad coming after the _Ultimate Power_. Many of the pieces were definitely coming together.

"Uh, a whiny-voiced man who rambles on about what's best for the greater good, has brown-colored hair and sports a matching go-tee?" Billie cracked in response. "Except for the shiny black robe with the stolen pentagram formation on it, I'm willing to bet he hasn't changed all that much! Oh, that, and the fact that he admitted to being an Elder. So, what do you think?"

The sisters remained speechless.

"A Triad?" questioned Paige, shaking her head, as she tried to grasp that possible reality. "How is that even possible? He died. Leo killed him. So, how could he come back?" She looked to both Piper and Phoebe for an answer.

"I don't know," Piper answered honestly. "I just don't know."

Prue looked between her sisters. "Leo killed Gideon?" she inquired. She was met with the stares of all three sisters but it was Piper who responded to her inquiry.

"It happened in the Underworld after Gideon kidnapped Wyatt. Gideon was going to kill him and Barbas was helping him out. Leo was able to take Barbas' form and trick Gideon so he could save Wyatt. But, he ended up killing him in the process," she explained.

"Wait! Barbas? As in the demon of fear ... that Barbas?" Prue questioned.

Paige sighed. "Yup! The one and only." Upon sensing what her sister's logical follow-up question would be, she beat her to the punch. "Another story for another time!"

Prue nodded her head slowly in response.

Billie looked between them, knowing full well she still had to deliver some more bad news. "There's more," she added as she grabbed the immediate attention of the sisters again.

Paige rolled her eyes. "Good gravy! Shouldn't there be a limit on how much bad news a person is allowed to receive in one day? Jeez," she stressed.

Phoebe shook her head and sighed. "Just lay it on us!"

"Gideon and the Triad have some plan to get rid of the kids," announced Billie. "Apparently, they brought me there in the hopes that you guys would come looking for me. But, it was all suppose to be some trap to get to you which would leave the kids alone. There was something mentioned in passing about a box but I didn't hear too much about what that meant..."

Panic suddenly seized Piper. "Wyatt," she muttered under her breath.

Phoebe watched Piper back away and suddenly turn around as she immediately went in search of her purse and car keys. Upon finding her purse, she reached inside grabbing for the keys. By now, she had the attention of both Prue and Paige on her as well.

"Wait, Piper, where are you going?" inquired Phoebe as Piper headed for the attic door.

Piper halted her steps before exiting and turned back around. "To Dad's," she announced. "He shouldn't be left alone with the kids, it's too dangerous. I'm just going to pick them up. I'll be right back, I promise" she reassured them.

"Piper, Dad's not going to let anything happen to them," Phoebe tried to squash the nagging worry she felt emanating from her older sister. "And Wyatt knows how to protect himself!"

"Maybe. But what about Molly?" she challenged. "And Chris? They're not as advanced with their powers like Wyatt is. Besides, Gideon already got to Wyatt once. He's probably the one behind Molly's kidnapping last year. I'm not going to take any chances!"

Prue crossed her arms, her own worry about Molly starting to naught away at her. "I agree. I think the kids should be here with us until it's safe."

"Safe?" Phoebe laughed. "Prue, it's never going to be safe! In case you didn't get the memo, we're the _Charmed Ones_. There's going to be times that we're just going to have to trust that the kids will be okay even if we can't always be there with them! And that means putting some faith into the people around us. Like Dad!"

Paige listened and then added her own small tidbit into the mix. "You mean, _Charmed Ones _turned _Ultimate Power_," she quickly corrected just barely underneath her breath. Billie, who had been standing on the sidelines listening, was the only one to acknowledge it .

"Uh, yeah. By the way, speaking of that ..." Billie attempted to interject but was cut off by Prue's quick retort thrown back at Phoebe.

"Okay! Well, then what I meant to say was until it's _safer_," Prue stressed.

Phoebe immediately became defensive. "No, what you meant to say was that you don't think Dad can be trusted to keep them safe. Oh, but wait a minute! I forgot," she continued snidely. "He's not your father so it really doesn't matter to you. Congratulations, Prue. You finally have a real reason to kick him out of your life for good!"

Billie immediately glanced in her mother's direction wondering what on earth that actually meant. _What did I miss while I was gone_, she wondered.

"STOP!" Piper shouted across the attic. "Can we not do this, please?" she begged. "All of this is hard enough without turning on each other right now. So, look. I'm going to go get the kids and bring them back here because I agree with Prue on this. And Phoebe, no offense, but you're not a mother yet so I don't think you quite understand. This has absolutely nothing to do with Dad," she stressed, glancing at Prue.

Prue issued a faint smile, grateful for the small show of support. Phoebe's words had stung and she was suddenly taken aback by the recent backlash she was receiving from her.

"Wait, but I'm not finished yet, " came Billie's objection.

Piper sighed. "Billie, just finish telling them everything and fill me in on the rest when I get back," she suggested. "And guys? Try to keep the fighting to a minimum. Please!" With that said, she rolled her eyes and exited the attic in a hurry.

Phoebe turned to Prue. "Prue, I'm sorry," she apologized while shaking her head. "It's just that with everything going on lately ... finding out about Billie, then you, and now Coop," she opened up.

"What about Coop?" Paige inquired.

"I don't know. Some things about his past have come out and a few things about it are bothering me," she admitted. "But I can tell you guys more about that later. Phoebe turned to address her niece. "So, Billie, what else was there to tell us besides Gideon and the Triad's plans?"

Suddenly, before Billie could respond, blue and white orbs interfered with the flow of the conversation as JD materialized before them.

"Billie, thank god!" he sighed with relief. "I saw you disappear but I wasn't sure ..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Billie immediately stepped forward grabbing the piece of dirt-tainted paper held within his hands. Turning around to address both her mother and two remaining aunts, she held out the piece of paper in front of them to see.

"This is the last thing I needed to tell you!"

**ooooo **

Piper drove down the busy San Francisco streets completely lost within her own thoughts. Thoughts that centered around a possible confrontation with Gideon. And then there was the truth about Prue that was also bothering her. Talk about the past coming back to haunt them, she thought bitterly.

Suddenly feeling very anxious, she reached out in search of her cell phone. She pulled it from out of her purse that was sitting on the passenger's side. As she came to a stop for a red light at the intersection, she dialed Victor's number.

"Dad? Hey, it's me! Yeah, I'm on my way to pick up the kids right now. I should be there in about five minutes or so," she informed him. "And there's a few things I wanted to talk to you about before I leave," she added as an afterthought.

Unfortunately, in her distraction, the car speeding and swerving from the left side went completely unnoticed by Piper as she put her foot to the gas when the light turned green. At the same exact moment she attempted to cross the intersection, a black SUV smashed into her own car sending glass shattering everywhere. The force of the impact was so strong that it lifted Piper's car from the ground, sending it rolling across the freeway landing upside down.

Everything went completely black for Piper.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **My schedule is very hectic but I'll try to get the next chapter done as soon as I can. Sorry about the long delays. **Coming Up ... **Piper's life hangs in the balance, Leo and Coop are summoned away, Billie returns to the Manor, and the sisters struggle to come to terms with the future.


	26. Raging Storms

**:o) **Thanks for all the reviews... **cancer-chris**, **1treehillcharmed**, **charmed1979**, **Queen of Gabb 488**, **I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts**, **Jedi Alanna**, **WelshCanuk**, and **charmedgirl-alyssaphoebe**. Glad to see that people are still sticking with it.

A few comments ...

**1threehillcharmed**- lol, no worries. Killing Piper would "kill" my story. Where would the ultimate power be without her? **;o)**

**WelshCanuk ... **I hope you were able to make that hair appointment, lol. But, welcome, and I'm glad to hear you like the story so much.

**cancer-chris- **Welcome. Hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the chapters. Your questions will be answered as you read. **;o)**

**Queen of Gabb 488 ... **You'll wait that long, huh, lol? Good, I hope that you and I are around that long. Because Charmed should be! hehe ...

Okay, now on with the story ...

* * *

**Chapter 25: Raging Storms**

Surrounded by the bright light emanating everywhere within the Elder realm, a gentleman with graying hair took frantic strides in the direction of a room occupied by elect members of the Elder Council. It was a restricted area and off limits to non-members, especially when the Council was in session. Pushing open the double doors leading into the room, he stepped inside and paused for air.

"Assign them to new charges ..." Emeritus' voice could be heard drifting through the opened doors before they closed behind the Elder who had suddenly entered.

As the new leader of the Elder Council, Emeritus was seated at the head of the long, rectangular table currently being utilized by all members. Immediately taking notice of the intruder, he stood up to address the other man.

"What is the meaning of this?" he blurted. "You do not have permission to be here! Don't you know that I can have you sanctioned for this?"

Out of breath, the other Elder held up his hand in an apologetic manner.

"Pardon me, Sir. Please forgive the intrusion but this matter is of urgent importance and requires your immediate attention."

"What is so urgent that it could not withstand a few more moments before this meeting was called to its end?" Emeritus accused the man in an irritated fashion.

"It's the Afterlife Council, Sir. It's a summons for you to appear before them. Someone has made an official accusation directed against the Elder Council's conduct. You are to make an appearance before them immediately," the other Elder informed him.

Emeritus' posture stiffened as the other members seated around the table began to share whisperings of shock and disbelief amongst one another. The Elder, performing the task of messenger, took some tentative steps forward in Emeritus' direction to deliver the formal, written directive in the form of a summons.

"Silence!" Emeritus exclaimed to the other members, while accepting the piece of paper from the other Elder's extended hand. "We will have order!"

The incessant chattering that had been mounting was short-lived as the members recollected themselves. Emeritus used his eyes to scan the written contents of the summons and he became more enraged with each passing word he read. Everyone in the room carefully observed his demeanor and awaited his further instruction in complete silence.

"Session dismissed!" he announced. "Phalmis, Xenus, and Ramar please remain seated. Everyone else is free to disperse."

The three Elders looked to each other, confusion spreading across their faces. The other members of the Council arose and exited the room leaving the four remaining Elders behind. The Elder responsible for delivering the message was about to exit with the others but halted his movement as Emeritus called out to him.

"Kraton?"

The Elder slowly turned around to face the Senior Elder. "Yes, Sir?"

"I would like for you to summon Dimitri," came his final instruction while crumpling the paper he held within his hand. "Immediately!"

The piece of paper magically dissolved into nothing.

"Yes, Sir. Right away Sir," Kraton nodded his head in response before turning around to leave the room for good.

**ooooo**

The intense pounding sensation of her heart.

That was all her mind could register after they had received the dreaded phone call. The steady rhythm was replaced by beats coming at a much quicker pace with each passing word that left Victor's mouth. As the information penetrated her brain, the look that had taken root on her face only gave birth to panic coming from her other two sisters.

"Prue, what's the matter?" came Phoebe's automatic response.

Without answering, Prue hung up the phone in a daze. The three sisters were all standing in the kitchen after Billie had finished explaining about the incantation that would be responsible for igniting the new power the four sisters would share. A power that would allow them to defeat Gideon and the rest of the Triad once and for all.

"Prue?" Paige pleaded when they received no response back from her. The body language coming from their sister was enough to tell her that something was definitely wrong.

"Prue, answer us!" Phoebe demanded. "Why aren't you answering us?"

"Did you win the lottery or something?" Paige cracked, trying to break the tension with a little bit of sisterly humor.

After a small amount of random pacing that went back and forth in front of both sisters, Prue suddenly stopped. "We have to go!"

"What? Why?" questioned Phoebe as both she and Paige followed Prue from the kitchen, to the dining room and finally into the foyer.

"Because Piper's in the hospital. She was in a car accident," she stated matter-of-factly. _Think and stay calm_, Prue instructed herself. _Don't get emotional. Somebody needs to remain strong and in control of this situation._

At the shocking news, the sisters stopped walking and stood stationary inside the foyer.

"What?" Phoebe exclaimed. "Oh my god, NO!" she released, taking a deep breath, and then placing her hand against her chest. Then, she brought her hand up to cover her mouth.

Paige's eyes had begun to water. "But she's alright. I mean, it wasn't serious, right? She has to be okay. She just has to be!" she reaffirmed, denial setting in.

"Who has to be alright?" Billie's voice interrupted.

All three sisters turned to Billie who was in the process of coming downstairs. However, when she caught the solemn expressions looking back at her she halted her movement on the stairs before reaching the foyer.

"Uh-oh!" she remarked while clenching her teeth together. "Now what happened?"

Prue sighed before answering the question. "Victor called. Piper was involved in a car accident. She's in ICU and they don't know if she's going to make it," she replied hoping to put to rest all of their questions until they had reached the hospital.

Amazingly, Piper's cell phone had been recovered from the wreckage completely intact and Victor's number had been the last one to register on the outgoing call list. Police officers on the scene had retrieved it in the hopes of contacting relatives. Upon learning that the man on the other end was indeed the woman's father, they delivered the devastating news. And then Victor called the Manor. Piper had been on the receiving end of a head on collision from the left side, leaving her in the ICU, and labeled in critical condition at Bay General Hospital.

How could this be happening?

The devastating news had been delivered about thirty minutes ago as the three sisters, with Billie in tow, entered the hospital reception area. Prue rode with Paige in Paige's car while Billie had kept Phoebe company in Phoebe's vehicle for the duration of the ride there.

"Piper Halliwell!" Prue announced, taking charge. "She's our sister. She was injured in a car accident. We would like to see her, please."

The nurse attending the station was on the phone and she held up her hand to signal the woman standing before her that she would have to wait until she was finished. Then, ending her conversation, she hung up the phone.

"Yes, what was the name again?" she addressed the women standing before her.

"Piper Halliwell," answered Phoebe. "She was brought in a little over an hour ago! Please tell us she's going to be alright?" she pleaded in a panic.

The nurse brought up the information from the computer screen on her desk before returning her attention to the sisters and Billie.

"I'm sorry but your sister underwent emergency surgery after she was brought in. She's been placed in ICU," the nurse informed the women. "Visitation is restricted but if you'll take a seat in the waiting area I'm sure a doctor will be along shortly to update you on her condition."

"Visitation is restricted, are you kidding me?" vented Phoebe. "Our sister could be lying in there dying and you're shoving hospital policy down our throats?"

The nurse sighed. "I understand your frustration ma'am. But like I said, a doctor handling your sister's case will be way more informative than I can be. I apologize but that's all I'm able to give you. The waiting area is just around the corner."

"She's pregnant," blurted Paige, fearing the worst. "What about the baby?"

"I'm sorry," the nurse offered. "I'm sure the doctor will update you on everything!"

"Yeah, thanks," replied Prue.

Billie, who quietly stood behind the sisters, followed them in the direction of the waiting area. As they turned the corner, they were greeted by the sight of Victor and the three kids. Molly came running in the direction of Prue.

"Mommy!" the little girl squealed as she ran into Prue, squeezing her with a big hug.

Prue bent down to pick her up.

"Grandpa said that Auntie Piper got really hurt," she told her mother in a sad voice. "And that she had to come here so that the doctor's could make her all better again!"

Prue answered her daughter. "Uh-huh! Grandpa's right."

Victor approached Billie and the sisters with Chris in his arms with a somber expression that remained firmly plastered across his face. Phoebe rushed forward and embraced her father.

"Dad!" she exclaimed.

While father and daughter shared a hug, Victor locked eyes with Prue. Then, Prue broke the stare. At the same time, Paige hoisted Wyatt up in her arms and planted a kiss on his head.

"How is she?" Phoebe broke out of the hug.

"Not sure," he answered with some clear hesitation.

Billie, sensing that the news probably wasn't good, reasoned that the details probably shouldn't be shared with the children present. She figured that her mother or aunts could update her with whatever the news was later on. Slowly, she stepped beside Paige and reached out to gently rub Wyatt's back in a soothing gesture. The little boy was sucking on his thumb with his head resting against his Auntie Paige's shoulder.

Billie clapped her hands together. "Hey, what do you say we go get us a snack while the doctors make mommy and Auntie Piper all better?" she addressed all the kids, looking to each one.

Wyatt perked his small head up. "Ice Cream!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, ice cream!" Molly imitated her cousin's request.

Victor and the sisters immediately sensed where Billie was going with it. Paige placed Wyatt back down on the floor as he stood in between her and Billie.

"Yeah, that's probably not a bad idea," Victor agreed. "Thanks," he offered as Billie smiled and walked forward to take Chris from his arms.

"No problem," she replied.

Prue released Molly with some slight hesitation. After only being reunited with her daughter for such a short period of time, it still made her nervous to let her out of her sight for too long. And with the recent discovery regarding Gideon and the Triad's plans to come after the kids, it only served to increase those feelings ten fold. Billie, sensing what was troubling her mother, tried to offer some minor reassurance. She walked over to her with Wyatt and Chris.

"You can trust me," she offered. "I can handle things if they come up so don't worry!"

Prue issued a faint smile in return without saying anything back. She knelt down beside Molly to address her other daughter.

"Molly. Now you listen to Billie and do exactly what she tells you to, okay? Stay by her side at all times. Understand?"

Molly nodded her head in response. "Uh-huh."

"Good. I love you," she said. She kissed her daughter's cheek and stood back up to address her older daughter. "Be extra careful! Not just with the kids but you too! We really don't need anymore _accidents_ in this family. If you get what I mean," she offered.

Billie smiled back. "We'll be fine. I promise."

Then, Billie headed in the direction of the hospital cafeteria with Chris in her arms and the two other children at both her sides.

**ooooo**

"This is a disaster!" exclaimed Ramar.

The four remaining Elders were discussing the impending indictment being directed against them. It was clear that the ramifications resulting from Gideon's leadership were now in full force. In addition to Gideon, they had been the only other Elders to survive the attack made by the Titans in the Elder realm over three years ago. They were the last, remaining, original members from the Elder Council. All of the other members had become new appointees and weren't well-acquainted with Gideon or his decisions from the past like the other four were. The new members on the Council had only known Gideon for the short amount of time before his demise.

"What are we going to do?" inquired Xenus. "We shouldn't be made to pay for what Gideon did all those years ago!"

"Yes but we agreed to it," Phalmis reminded them. "All of us decided it was for the best!"

"But the Afterlife Council won't see it that way!" Xenus panicked. "What if they know about the Avatar?"

"Then we deny it," offered Ramar. "There's no proof. Besides, it was Gideon who was in direct communication with him, not us!"

"How will we be able to deny it?" Xenus stressed. "We tampered with the original Charmed Prophecy to prevent an Ultimate Power from existing. They will seek out an answer as to how we were able to accomplish such a feat. And we used a time-leaping Avatar to do it! Don't you remember?"

Phalmis rolled his eyes. "Of course we remember, Xenus. It's why we instituted the rule prohibiting whitelighters from being with their charges all those centuries ago. To prevent the birth of a fourth and to protect the power of three."

"And all the good that did!" exclaimed Ramar. "By the time Gideon found out about Paige's existence, it was too late. We should have taken the eldest one after her birth like we originally intended to and have been done with it."

"We couldn't take that chance!" defended Phalmis. "Prue was the first-born. The first Charmed One. We needed to ensure that the Power of Three would come into existence. Patty was threatening to renounce herself as a witch. The deal had to be made."

Emeritus listened quietly to the debate bouncing back and forth before suddenly deciding to offer his own input regarding the predicament they currently found themselves in.

"Which is why Gideon struck the deal with Prue after he found out about Paige," Emeritus declared before the other three. "This is all water under the bridge! We need to be concentrating on how to counter these allegations. With technicalities if need be."

All three Elders absorbed and carefully contemplated the words of the head Elder.

"But Emeritus," Xenus protested with caution. "It's the technicalities that will be our undoing. Our Council is responsible for interfering with the grand-design on more than one occasion. We've broken universal codes by co-conspiring with an Avatar. We've disrupted the mortal realm and uprooted magical destinies. Even within the immortal realm, Gideon went above the Afterlife Council by reinstating a mortal existence for Andrew Trudeau."

"Which has all been corrected!" Emeritus insisted. "Andrew Trudeau is back in the immortal realm where he belongs. Prue has been reunited with her sisters so the Ultimate Power now stands a chance. And we are no longer conversing with the Avatar!"

"But they won't stand a chance without the incantation that was taken from the book," Ramar reminded them. "Gideon had the Avatar replace the original prophecy shortly after Melinda Warren's death. The amended version leaves out the incantation, the information pertaining to the fourth sister and the Ultimate Power, remember?"

"Gideon instructed the Avatar to destroy it!" interjected Phalmis. "Didn't he?"

"Yes, but we don't really know what the Avatar did with it," Emeritus answered him. "Gideon came to suspect that the Avatar was playing both sides. Especially, throughout the years, with the spreading rumors in the Underworld about the coming of an ultimate power!"

"But the Underworld couldn't have known about the incantation," Phalmis reasoned. "Dumain and the Triad thought Billie and Christy were the Ultimate Power! That's why they kidnapped the girl, Christy!"

Emeritus listened carefully before responding.

"Or so we thought!" he countered back. "It's possible the Underworld may have been aware of things that we, ourselves, were unaware. Prue was found by the Underworld. And we still don't know how. We've just discovered that her younger daughter was abducted over a year ago and most likely held captive in the Underworld. We still don't know by who."

"Perhaps the Triad? They could have known the truth about Billie the whole time? Then, they kidnapped the little girl?" offered Xenus.

"Maybe," Emeritus relented. "We've just come to learn the truth about Billie's origins. Before that I had just assumed that the Triad used the incantation to infuse the two girls with the power. However, it now makes more sense to us why Billie exhibited the power she did. But it still begs the question as to how her mortal sister obtained powers. Or how the Triad came to know about Prue or her other daughter to begin with."

"Perhaps the Underworld found out because of the Avatar?" Xenus interjected. "After all, we have no idea about his current whereabouts. Damn it, I knew using that Avatar would turn out to be a big mistake!"

"Or perhaps the Charmed Ones have figured it out already?" Ramar spoke up. " And we would probably have the answers too if we were on better terms with them!"

"What I don't understand is how anyone but the Charmed Ones can access the incantation?" declared Phalmis. "Isn't there some safeguard against that?"

"No!" exclaimed Emeritus. "Which is exactly why Gideon deemed the power to be a threat to the greater good. Evil can use the incantation by reciting it backwards and they can continue to infuse themselves with the power each time they recite it. After constituting the power for themselves, the Charmed Ones would need to destroy the incantation. Immediately."

"That's if it still exits," Phalmis reminded him. "Is there any other way for the sisters to constitute the Power if the incantation is gone?"

"Yes!" affirmed Emeritus. He stood up from the table and began pacing around the table, hands behind his back. "One other way!"

"Which is?" Ramar pressed.

"By summoning their dead ancestor. Melinda Warren."

**ooooo**

Victor and the three sisters sat huddled together in chairs reserved for those awaiting either some good or bad news within the waiting area of the hospital corridor. All was quiet.

Phoebe sat with her legs curled up underneath her and her head leaning against her arm for support. Paige flipped through a magazine in a distracted manner. She wasn't actually reading it but it was something she could do to keep her mind busy. Every now and then she would anxiously look up to see if anyone was approaching them with news on Piper's condition. Prue, on the other-hand, refused to look up. Instead, she kept all of her attention focused on the bottled water in hand and used her straw to swirl the liquid content inside.

"Somebody please tell me this isn't happening," Phoebe uttered in a semi-muffled tone of voice. In truth, the events of the entire day left her feeling mentally as well as physically exhausted.

"This isn't happening!" Paige cracked.

"It doesn't look good!" Victor admitted honestly. "She came out of surgery about forty minutes ago but that's all I've heard," he remarked as he looked at his watch another time. His own impatience was shining through.

Suddenly, a thought struck Prue. Finally, she looked up. "Hey, one of us should really find Leo and let him know!"

Phoebe reacted by smacking her hand against her forehead. "Oh my god, Leo!" she exclaimed. "How the hell did we manage to forget about getting Leo here?"

Instantly dropping the magazine back on the table, Paige responded.

"I'll go!" she offered. "He's at the Magic School and since I'm the only one that can orb," she lowered her voice to a whisper. "And I hate hospital waiting rooms," she added.

As she got up to find a restroom and a bathroom stall that would afford her some privacy, Paige thought back to the tragic day her parents were killed in that horrible car accident. The same accident her whitelighter heritage had rescued her from when she had instinctively orbed herself from the vehicle upon the impact. Now, the same thing was threatening to claim the life of her sister only their magic hadn't been able to save her. Was Karma really this cruel?

Victor, Prue, and Phoebe all watched Paige as she disappeared around the corner.

Shortly after their youngest sister's departure, a doctor entered the waiting area and approached them slowly. All three of them were instantly on their feet.

"Uh, I gather you're Ms. Halliwell's family?" the doctor inquired. "I'm Dr. Ramon. I was the attending surgeon who operated on Piper.

"Yes! Yes we are!" came the urgent reply from Victor. "Is my daughter going to be alright?"

The doctor sighed. "Well, there's some good news and then there's some bad news. Piper was exhibiting signs of brain hemorrhaging when she was brought in. However, we were able to stop the internal bleeding almost immediately which means little to no brain damage. In that case, she would be able to recover full use of all her mental and physical faculties."

"But?" Prue pushed.

"The bad news?" Phoebe pressed at the same time.

"The bad news is that your sister has slipped into a deep coma. We have no way of knowing when or if she'll ever come out of it!" he delivered. "I'm very sorry."

"Wha...What?" Phoebe stuttered in disbelief.

Prue remained silent, with her arms crossed, as she processed that piece of news in shock.

"A coma?" Victor repeated. "How the hell did that happen? I thought you said the surgery was a success?" his voice raising an octave with each passing word.

"It was, Mr. Halliwell, but unfortunately these things can happen with no warning signs."

"It's Bennett! And I don't care about your warning signs! You get back in there and do something for my daughter, damn it! NOW!" he shouted.

"Dad!" Phoebe pleaded. "Don't!"

She placed her hand against his chest in an attempt to halt his forward movement and to calm him down. Then, without warning, she turned around and completely submerged herself against him as her own tearful onslaught was released. Victor wrapped his arms around her fighting back his own urge to cry. However, he failed as the built-up pools escaped his eyes and began to slide down his cheeks.

The doctor gave them a moment to process the news before continuing on.

"Listen, I realize that this is alot to take in all at once. But you do have some time to consider your options!"

Prue's head shot up. "Our options? What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

Dr. Ramon also caught the attention of Victor and Phoebe who stood beside Prue wanting an explanation just as much as she did. He took a deep breath.

"Unfortunately, it's a medically known fact that patients that succumb to this type of coma-induced state rarely recover from it. In fact, they just don't."

"Wait! But you just said rarely? So that means it's possible. Right?" Prue argued.

The doctor closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Doctor?" Prue pushed when they received no answer back. "Is there a chance that my sister can recover from this?"

"Look, I don't want to give you a false sense of hope. The statistics are less than 1 percent. Not even at half of a percent. Please try to understand where I am going with this. And the sad fact is that insurance just isn't going to continue to cover the cost of life support for very long. Now, I don't know what position your family might be in financially, but in my experience most families can not afford to maintain the cost of that on their own."

"Are you crazy?" Phoebe shouted. "We're not going to kill our sister because of some damn insurance company that refuses to foot the damn bill!

Doctor Ramon raised his arms in defense. "I'm not here to tell you what to do. That's entirely up to you. And for the most part her husband. Our records, submitted with the help of you Mr. Bennett, indicate that Ms. Halliwell is married?"

"Yes!" replied Victor.

"What about the baby?" inquired Prue.

"Well, miraculously, the pregnancy wasn't adversely effected. It should continue to progress while your sister remains attached to the life support. We'll continue to monitor it. Of course, that decision rests with Piper's husband so we'll need his permission to continue or discontinue the life support now!"

"Well that's definitely not an option my brother-in-law would even consider. So you can just take your cozy bedside manner and shove it Doctor!" mocked Phoebe.

The doctor proceeded with caution, trying to remain calm.

"Look, I realize that this is both extremely difficult and upsetting. Please, just take all the time you need and if there is any change in her condition I'll be the first one to update you on it!"

Prue swallowed. "Can we see her?" she interjected.

The doctor sighed before giving in. "One at a time. But, please. Try and keep it brief!" He turned around to leave.

Prue turned to face Phoebe and Victor.

"Go!" nodded Phoebe.

"You can go first, I don't mind," Prue offered.

"No, Prue, it's okay. Really. Go ahead. I need a few moments to collect myself before I see her anyway," she insisted.

Then, Prue turned to Victor. "Uh, Dad?"

Prue wasn't sure what she should call him now. And, in part, she felt really guilty about being the first one to see Piper. She thought that honor should be reserved for either Phoebe or Paige. Or even Victor who had apparently taken his new-found father role to heart since her "passing" over five years ago. But not her. After all, it was Phoebe and Paige who had stood beside Piper these past five years. Fighting demons. Helping her with the boys. Sticking by her like sisters are suppose to do. All things that she had missed out on because of her obsessive need to be in control and to do things her way.

Smiling faintly, he replied. "Nah, honey, it's alright! I'll just wait until you girls are done. Go in!" he insisted with a nod of his head.

Sensing her hesitation, Phoebe spoke up. "Prue don't think like that! She would want you to see her. You know that!"

"Yeah, sure!" came Prue's simple reply as she turned to head in the direction of the ICU.

Phoebe picked up that her sister walked away feeling unconvinced and it was moments like these that served as a reminder that they all had alot of mending to do before their relationship with Prue felt anywhere near normal again.

**ooooo **

Dimitri orbed back into the Elder realm feeling somewhat on edge. He had been summoned away from the Magic School just after Paige had arrived unexpectedly and Leo had received the tragic news that Piper had been seriously injured in a car accident. Now, he pondered what was so important that he was being summoned before an Elder's Council meeting. After all, he was not a member which meant he was not of appropriate rank.

Reluctantly, he stepped inside the room and was greeted by the presence of four Elders. Emeritus, the Council's leader, and three other Senior Elders.

"You've requested my presence?" Dimitri inquired.

"Yes Dimitri," answered Emeritus. "Please have a seat," he gestured with his hand towards one of the empty chairs. "You'll be joining us shortly!"

Confusion spread across Dimitri's face. However, he noticed the Elder before him stood with a smug smirk in place.

"I'm not sure I quite understand," Dimitri stammered as he sat down.

Phalmis, Xenus, and Ramar stood from their seated positions to join Emeritus.

"It's quite simple really," remarked Phalmis.

"See, we've been summoned before the Afterlife Council!" Emeritus continued. "And we thought maybe you'd like the honor of explaining to them how Leo was able to gain access to them without being brought there by the Council themselves," he stated boldly.

Dimitri's body language shifted from a calm, collected state as he began to fidget nervously.

"I don't know what you mean!" he lied.

"Come now Dimitri. There is no point in keeping up the facade," Emeritus scolded. "Any summons coming from the Afterlife Council requesting the presence of any Elders or whitelighters pass through this Council first!"

"And this Council received no such request for Leo!" Phalmis interjected.

"So, please tell us. How is that Leo appeared before them without our knowledge? And without a summons?" stressed Ramar.

Dimitri brought his hand up and coughed.

"How do we even know Leo went before them at all?" he questioned.

Emeritus' anger was beginning to boil at the new Elder's lack of cooperation. The last thing they needed was for their Elders to be adopting the vigilante ways of Leo. His apparent knack of going against the established rules of conduct for Elders and Whitelighters was still a sore spot with the Elder Council. Granted, on many occasions, it worked to their advantage. Which was the only reason Leo had been cut some of the slack he had gotten over the years. That reason and because he had been assigned the special privilege as Whitelighter for the Charmed Ones. But now he was crossing the line too far.

"Don't play games with us, Dimitri!" Emeritus accused. "We're being brought up on indictment for misconduct and Leo has been named as our accuser. Now, I happen to be aware that the only other way to make an unannounced appearance before them is to use a back door!"

"A portal from the Mystic Realm!" clarified Phalmis.

Dimitri opted to play dumb for as long as he could get away with it. Of course, he acknowledged to himself that he was well aware of how Leo had done it. After all, he assisted him in researching the way to do it from inside of the Magic School. But he didn't want to be the one to turn Leo in for trying to help his family! Not when he probably would have done the same thing.

"Hmmm. A back door, huh. The Mystic Realm?" he feigned in mock surprise. "Sorry. That's the first time I've heard of it!" he lied again.

Emeritus balled up his fists at his sides.

"Fine! We'll do this your way, Dimitri! I hope you don't mind missing work. Indictment trials can last awhile!" he cracked.

Then all five Elders disappeared into a shimmering of gold light.

**ooooo**

Prue's slow steps graced the hardened floor of the hospital corridor as she passed by the other rooms in the ICU. Through some of the glass structures, she was able to view some of the other patients with their bodies attached to an assortment of machines. There were various tubes running to and from them. She had a pretty good hunch this was the condition she was about to find her sister in.

When she reached the room with her sister, a creaking noise could be heard as the door opened slowly. Prue had to suppress a gasp after she caught sight of her sister.

"Piper."

The name passed through her lips like a faint whisper.

There in bed, Piper lay stretched out with no sign of consciousness. Monitors measuring her brain wave patterns, her heart beat patterns, and breathing activity were all clearly present. No doubt the life support sustaining her sister's current state. A long tube had been placed through her mouth and down her throat while two smaller ones had been inserted through both nostrils. Other tubing was connected to her arms. Thick, long strands of white gauze were wrapped tightly around her head. There were some signs of bruising on her face.

Prue surmised immediately that her sister's hair was gone. Probably the need to perform surgery in her brain making it a necessity to shave it off. But it would grow back! What was important was that she came back to them.

"Piper, I'm so sorry! This isn't fair."

She stood at her sister's bedside. Then, she gently reached out for Piper's hand taking it into her own. It hadn't been that long ago that she had been in a hospital room in New York, waiting for Andy to recover from a demon attack. And now he was gone too!

Pulling a chair next to the bed, Prue sat down.

"Look, Piper. I don't know if you can hear me or not but uh... here it goes anyway. I know that you're still mad at me for what I did and everything but I ... uh, I'm trying really hard not to break down here. Because I really don't want things to end like this between us!"

She released Piper's hand and began picking at her own cuticles.

"And you know me? How hard it is for me to admit when I'm wrong about something or to ask for help when I actually need it!"

Prue gave a small smirk and looked down as she continued to speak her heart.

"But, uh, you were right. You were right," she repeated with a nod of her head. "You and Phoebe shouldn't have been lied to. I should have come back and told both of you exactly what was going on. Faking my own death only ended up hurting everyone in the long run!"

Prue sighed.

"Who knows? I mean, maybe the three of us could have come up with some other way to save Paige. Together."

There was a pause. "Only now we'll never know."

Using one of her fingers, Prue wiped against her watery eyes.

"So, I'm sorry. I need for you to know that. And I hope that you and Phoebe can forgive me one day! Because I really can't stand the thought of you guys hating me forever. But you need to come back first, okay?" her voiced cracked with some more emotion.

Prue took a few moments to regain her composure. Then, after taking a deep breath of air, she continued on.

"And I have no idea how Phoebe and Paige would go on without you! You're the big sister they look up to now."

Suddenly, Prue was interrupted by a coughing sound that caught her off-guard. As she spun around in her chair, her attention was drawn to Phoebe standing inside the doorway with her head resting against the entrance.

"How long have you been there?" asked Prue.

Phoebe entered the room. "Long enough to hear what I needed to," she answered her sister. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop," she apologized.

Prue stood up from her chair. Phoebe walked forward and used both arms to encircle her sister.

"We love you Prue! And I do forgive you. Piper will too," she offered. "Piper's been an awesome big sister. But you'll always be the big sister that can't be replaced, so remember that. And Paige will come to know it too!"

Prue returned the embrace. She closed her eyes and listened to the reassuring sentiment that her sister gave to her. As they broke apart, she replied to Phoebe's words of encouragement with words of her own.

"Thanks. I appreciate it but I feel far from it!"

"Don't worry. We'll get through this. Together!" Phoebe stressed.

Then, both sisters turned their attention back to Piper with heavy sighs of resignation. At the same moment, orbs materialized before them. Both Leo and Paige formed from them as Leo caught immediate sight of his wife's delicate condition.

"No!" he muttered under his breath.

Instantly, he approached her bed and knelt down at her side. His hands grasped both of hers as his face became a mask of sorrow. Paige swallowed over the growing lump forming in her throat, caused by the sight of her sister before her.

"No," he repeated in a whisper. "How can this be happening? After everything," he pleaded in denial. "You need to come back to me!"

Leo buried his face on top of his wife as the tears came. The sound of his sorrowful sobs caused Paige to step forward and place her hand over Leo's shoulder in a comforting gesture. She looked to her sisters, whose own faces displayed the grief that they all shared.

"Come back. Please, come back," Leo's muffled sounds of begging could be heard.

However, just as quickly, his demeanor changed from sorrow to anger in seconds. Raising his head to face the sisters, he demanded to know how Piper met her fate.

"Was it demons? The Triad did this to her?"

Realizing this was most definitely not the best time to break the news about Gideon, the sisters knew to stay as far away from that particular topic as possible.

With her arms crossed, Prue was the first to respond. "Uh, no, it wasn't demons Leo!"

"The driver that hit her was intoxicated. He was killed instantly on impact," Phoebe finished explaining to him.

Prue hesitated before continuing. "They, uh, don't think Piper will make it either!"

Paige shot her head up at the shocking news. However, she found that her two sisters refused to meet with her eyes as they both kept their gaze placed firmly against the floor.

"What?" she questioned.

"Yeah, well, not if I have anything to say about it!" Leo declared boldly.

At his declaration, the three sisters stared at Leo as he stood back up. He proceeded to bring his hands up over his wife.

"Leo, what are you doing?" hissed Phoebe. "We're in a hospital! There's cameras everywhere," she made an attempt to remind him.

"I don't care!" He continued undeterred.

Prue instantly turned around to shut the door and use her body to stand guard against it to prevent anyone from walking in unexpectedly.

"Paige, I can use your help here!" Leo instructed.

But Paige hesitated when she caught the unsure looks coming from both Prue and Phoebe. It was more than obvious that they feared someone would catch them using the magic. And remembering the story that Piper and Phoebe had detailed to her regarding Shax's appearance and Prue's supposed death five years ago, it hadn't been a pretty day when magic had been exposed to the world. But, how many times during the five years she had been a witch did they risk that same exposure time and time again? Would one more time really make that much of a difference?

Feeling quite agitated at the lack of response he was receiving, Leo turned his head to address them. "Do you want to save your sister or not?"

This propelled Paige into immediate action as she walked around to the other side of the bed and stood directly across from Leo. Then, raising her hands, she allowed the familiar sensation of heat to generate and flow through them while Leo performed the same thing.

Despite their reluctance, both Prue and Phoebe both watched in hopeful anticipation.

Paige felt herself draining. "It isn't working! It's like before." She was thinking about the last time she tried to heal Prue but couldn't.

However, failure was not an option for Leo. Even though his own energy was beginning to drain, he refused to give up.

"No, no. Don't stop! It'll work. It has to!" he affirmed.

"Leo, I can't!"

Then, she dropped and fell to the floor. Prue and Phoebe rushed over to assist her.

"Paige!"

She began brushing herself off. "No, no. I'm alright. It's not me I'm worried about!"

The sisters watched helplessly as Leo completely drained himself. Beads of sweat were forming on his head and his face took on a pink flush. Suddenly, the light dimmed and then faded altogether as he was deposited to the ground much in the same way as Paige.

"Damn it!" he cursed. He lifted himself up.

Phoebe walked over to assist him. She guided him over to a chair so he could sit down.

"Leo. You need to take it easy. You're not doing Piper any good by being wreck-less and getting yourself exposed."

"Or injurying yourself because you pushed yourself too hard," added Paige.

Leo began remembering the time Piper became infected with a deadly virus carried by an insect that was imported through a smuggled crate of fruit. Prue and Phoebe had used an awakening spell in a desperate attempt to save her life. They of all people should understand.

He shook his head in denial, trying to refute their logic. "But I was able to heal her the last time. From the other side!"

"This isn't like the last time" Prue tried to reason. "For starters, you're not on the other side. You're here with us." She handed him a cup of water she had retrieved from the bathroom. "Here drink this," she instructed.

"And Piper hasn't died! At least not yet anyway," Phoebe muttered.

"And there were consequences to what Phoebe and I did, remember?" Prue reminded him. "And there could have been consequences for you too!"

"What are you saying to just give up?" he roared in frustration. "I won't. Screw the consequences. It wouldn't be the first time we ignored them! I mean, my god, are you serious. This is your sister we're talking about and you want to just stand by and do nothing?"

Paige, becoming defensive, crossed her arms and interjected.

"Leo, no! That's not what we're saying. Of course we're not giving up. But draining yourself to the point of passing out isn't helping. The healing isn't working. And I'm pretty sure magic isn't going to fix it either. At least not from our end!

Prue reluctantly agreed. "Paige is right. This wasn't even a demon attack."

Phoebe placed her face within her hands and laughed. It wasn't a sound meant to signal that something was funny. No, it gave insight into the unsettling irony of the whole situation. With all the magic in their grasp, the only thing they could probably do was sit by and wait. And hope that a higher power would shine some mercy down on them and allow Piper to come back to them. It really wasn't fair!

"You know," Phoebe huffed. "Is this some kind of sick and twisted joke the universe likes to keep playing on us or something?" she vented, while staring at her sister's lifeless form. "After all the good we've done, how many more times are we going to be expected to face off with death? Can't it just leave us alone for once?"

_It_ ... referring to death.

"I mean, haven't we been tested enough?" she continued, her voice raising.

"Phoebe!"

Prue tried to step forward to offer some comfort but was quickly rebuked as Phoebe stepped back with her hands raised up in the air.

"No. I have to get out of here. Right now. Dad's waiting with Billie and the kids!"

Prue and Paige were helpless to do anything as they watched Phoebe leave the room in a haste. Prue turned to look at Paige, who in turn, just offered a shrug in her older sister's direction to signal she felt just as powerless to say or do anything that would make it okay for Phoebe. Then, both sisters cast their glances towards Leo.

He released a heavy sigh, bringing his forehead down against his hand. There just had to be something he could do to save her. It wasn't suppose to end like this. However, that's when he suddenly felt it. The tingling sensation that sprung to life in his hand and then continued to work its way throughout the rest of his body.

"Oh no!" he uttered.

"What's the matter?" questioned Prue, concern gracing her facial features.

"It's the Afterlife Council, I'm being summoned. Right now!"

And those were the last words that passed through his mouth as a gold shimmering enveloped his body carrying him away to the immortal realm.

The two remaining sisters were left standing by themselves.

**ooooo**

Inside of the darkened realm, the Elders stood close together, observing the man that stood across from them.

Coop, who had been summoned from the job while in the middle of making a love connection, was the man standing alone in the opposite direction. He acknowledged that he had most likely been called here in a counseling capacity to help represent both Leo and Andy.

Turning his back to them with his hands resting against his hips, he released a low whistle. "This should be interesting."

Suddenly, everyones attention was drawn to a bright flash. Out of this flash, a brighter atmosphere replaced the darker one. Long tables supplying chairs appeared on opposite sides. Everyone also took notice of the man who appeared as well.

Andy took a quick glance around as confusion rooted itself inside of him.

"What's going on?" he questioned. "Where am I?"

After absorbing his strange surroundings and patting himself down to make sure he was really standing there in the flesh, Andy then took notice of a strange man approaching him from one of the two sides.

"I take it you must be Andy?" the man's voice asked.

"Uh, yeah. And you would be?" he asked back, furrowing his brows and remaining weary of the man standing before him.

"Well, you can just call me Coop," he answered.

"Coop?"

"Yeah, that's right. Coop. I'm, uh, engaged to one of Prue's sisters. Phoebe."

Andy nodded his head. "Uh-huh. Well, good for you. But that still doesn't help to explain what I'm doing here. Or why you're here with me."

However, the mention of his wife's name made his stomach lurch and the yearning to be able to see her once again returned. He had been trying his hardest to let go of those feelings in the afterlife because he reasoned it would be for the best. After all, it seemed virtually impossible that he would ever be allowed the opportunity to see her again.

"How is Prue?" his voice softened.

Coop observed the man with interest. "She's fine. But, I'm sure she'll be even better if we can get you out of here! Then, you can see how she is for yourself."

"Get me out of here? I doubt it. And where's _here_ anyway?"

"We're in the realm belonging to the Afterlife Council," Coop explained. "Leo found a way to challenge the Elders. Hopefully, the Council will agree with us and return you back to your mortal life!"

"Is that even possible?"

"Leo seems to think so. Which begs the question, where is he?" Coop pondered aloud.

At that moment, the familiar golden glow responsible for transporting the others into the realm reappeared with Leo.

"AH GOOD!" A booming voice penetrated the air.

A second voice followed. "EVERYONE IS PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR. WE SHALL PROCEED."

Leo angrily stepped forward to challenge their authority.

"Return me!" he shouted back. "I can't be here right now!"

The Elders, Coop, and Andy all stood staring at the scene before them. Leo was so completely engrossed in his emotional declaration that he missed Dimitri's presence.

"PARDON US?" the angry voices replied in unison. "WAS IT NOT YOU WHO SOUGHT OUT THIS INDICTMENT HEARING AT YOUR OWN BEQUEST? YOU DARE TO DISPLAY OPEN CONTEMPT FOR THESE PROCEEDINGS?"

"I don't mean any disrespect, but my wife needs me!" he pleaded. "She's lying on a hospital bed dying!"

"YES. WE KNOW!" answered one of the voices.

Once again, Leo's temper flared back to life. "You know? Then, why the hell aren't you doing anything to help her, damn it!"

"SHE WILL MEET THE FATE SHE IS DESTINED TO!"

"And what the hell is that suppose to mean?" he countered.

This time Coop stepped forward in an attempt to calm Leo down before everything he worked to accomplish unwittingly blew up in their faces. Grabbing a firm hold of his arm and pulling him backwards, he attempted to persuade him.

"Leo, this isn't the time. I'm sorry about Piper but you're just going to have to have some faith that she'll be alright," he insisted. "Otherwise, we may be the ones that wind up in some serious trouble here that we won't be getting out of!"

Leo allowed Coop's words to sink in as he fought to regain some composure. After all, Coop was right. He was stuck here and he knew it. He would just have to trust that some higher power, a power higher then this Council, would be looking out for Piper. Besides, the last thing he wanted was for these particular Elders to be able to just walk away without being held accountable. Especially, after he caught the self-satisfying smugs plastered across their faces. And it was at that point he caught sight of Dimitri. What was he doing here?

The Afterlife Council interpreted Leo's silence as submission.

"GOOD. WE ADVISE THAT ALL PRESENT TAKE A SEAT. WE MAY BE HERE FOR AWHILE!"

**ooooo**

_Her eyes slowly fluttered open._

_A bright light blinded her and was blocking her vision. She felt light-headed. It was a feeling that began to course down her body until it reached the tips of her toes. But it was a good feeling. A freeing sensation that made her feel like she was about to float. She imagined herself simply flying away like a bird would do._

_As she regained use of her sight, she sat up taking in her surroundings. The scenery sprawled out before her was absolutely beautiful. Magnificent. It brought such peace and generated feelings of warmth that pulled the observer in._

_A soft substance, that resembled grass, crinkled beneath her bare feet. The only difference being it appeared as a sparkling gold color instead of an earthy green. The sky's hue was a light orange mixed with white clouds instead of blue sky. The open plain, with it's gold-colored grass, seemed to spread out for miles. However, as she began to walk, words started to echo around her. Recognizing the voice, she called out._

_"Prue?"_

_**"Piper, I'm so sorry! This isn't fair."**_

_"What isn't fair?" Piper asked, feeling confused._

_**"Look, Piper. I don't know if you can hear me or not but uh... here it goes anyway. I know that you're still mad at me for what I did and everything but I ... uh, I'm trying really hard not to break down here. Because I really don't want things to end like this between us!"**_

_"Prue, I can hear you fine but you're not making much sense. Things aren't ending. So, there's no need to break down. And where are you guys? Why can I hear you but not see you?" _

_**"And you know me? How hard it is for me to admit when I'm wrong about something or to ask for help when I actually need it!"**_

_Piper made a smacking sound with her lips and smirked. "Uh, yeah, no kidding. But how about coming out and showing yourself so I can gloat now?" she joked._

_**"But, uh, you were right. You were right," she repeated. "You and Phoebe shouldn't have been lied to. I should have come back and told both of you exactly what was going on. Faking my own death only ended up hurting everyone in the long run! Who knows? I mean, maybe the three of us could have come up with some other way to save Paige. Together."**_

_Piper remained silent. She listened and took each word to heart._

_**"So, I'm sorry. I need for you to know that. And I hope that you and Phoebe can forgive me one day! Because I really can't stand the thought of you guys hating me forever. But you need to come back first, okay?" her voiced cracked with some more emotion.**_

_Piper closed her eyes._

_"I forgive you Prue. And I could never hate you!" she replied. "Even though in my anger I thought I could." _

_It was in this precise moment that she made a conscious decision to let go of the anger and resentment she was harboring. The fact was they couldn't change the past. But they did have the future. And Prue was now going to be a part of it. However, first, she had to figure out exactly where she was. Because her memory felt fuzzy._

_Suddenly, she heard another familiar voice._

_**"Come back. Please, come back," Leo's muffled sounds of begging could be heard.**_

_"Leo? Uh, I want to come back. But I haven't the faintest, freaking idea where I am! Think you can help me out here?"_

_Piper continued to gaze around but saw no signs of anyone but herself. That was until she heard the sounds of childish laughter replace the voices that were coming from her family. Then, in the distance, she thought she caught sight of two child-like forms running through the grass. She didn't have a close enough view to take in their appearance but one of them appeared to be a girl and the second one a boy. They both stopped, waving her in their direction._

_The sounds of the ringing laughter produced an almost hypnotic effect on Piper. As the laughter began to draw her in, she proceeded to walk towards the two child-like figures._

**ooooo**

The door to the Manor swung open with Prue and Molly entering first. Following closely behind, came Phoebe and Paige with the boys. Billie was the last one to enter as she closed the door. Victor had returned to his apartment with the promise of staying in touch. It had been one of the most depressing days in a long time.

Everyone entered the living room. Billie flung herself onto the couch with a deep, depressing sigh of resignation that followed.

"Uh, I can help you get the boys ready for bed?" offered Phoebe.

Prue, feeling very unsure about her new surrogate role until Piper or Leo's return, accepted graciously. "Um, yeah, thanks."

Since they had absolutely no idea when Leo would be returning, the sisters had a short discussion on how to best handle the situation regarding the boys. Phoebe and Paige both had work schedules; therefore, they couldn't be there for them during the day. And Billie attended her classes during the day but she had offered to move back into the manor to help. That left Prue. Currently, she wasn't working so it made her the best candidate.

Leaving the boys with Victor had been the first solution but the sisters quickly agreed to scratch the idea because of the known threat of the Triad coming after the kids. They needed magical protection. All of this was explained to Victor, who in turn, understood the situation. Prue was still readjusting but they figured some use of magical protection was better than none. And they were comfortable knowing that Billie would be there to assist. Plus, Phoebe and Paige volunteered to be there outside of work.

Still feeling guilty about placing the responsibility on Prue, Paige opted to speak up.

"Hey, look, it's not a problem if you need us to take some time off from work. I mean, if this makes you uncomfortable or anything. I know you don't know the boys that well yet."

Prue smiled.

"I appreciate it but don't risk your jobs if you don't have to. I'll be alright," she assured her sister. "Besides, Billie will be here with me!"

"And you know we're only a phone call away if you need us!" Phoebe reminded Billie and Prue.

"Or an orb!" Paige cracked lightly.

Billie nodded her head. "Right. We know."

"Don't hesitate to call about anything."

"Thanks. We got it Pheebs," remarked Prue.

The mood was very somber indeed. Depressing. The house almost felt dead without Piper's presence being there. And the hardest part was still to come. Because the sisters knew they were going to have to sit down and explain to the boys why mommy wasn't coming home and why their daddy might not be around for awhile.

The sisters retreated to put the kids to bed before they, themselves, retired for the night. However, sleep did not come as easily. Not with the feelings of dread that continued to invade their thoughts each time they closed their eyes. And they all dreaded the same thing.

The fear of what tomorrow might bring.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... :o) **


	27. Demon Frenzy

**-O-charmed-freak-O-**, **Charmedgirlalyssa-phoebe**, **Charmed1979**, and **1treehillcharmed: **thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you guys are still enjoying this story.

Sorry. I realize some of you would like for me to update alot sooner. Lol, I wish I could too but right now I'm basically writing as my free time permits me. Plus, I'd rather have the chapters done to my satisfaction instead of just throwing them out there to you. I just think that you, as the audience, deserve better than that. So, hopefully, that doesn't scare you away, lol! **;o)**

* * *

**Chapter 26: Demon Frenzy**

_**Halliwell Manor ... (2 Months Later)**_

An energy ball zig-zagged its way through the air, heading directly for its target. But the woman smiled smugly before fading out altogether. Instead, the demon's energy ball impacted the wall, leaving scorch marks in its wake.

"What the hell?" the demon roared.

"HEY! Looking for me?" a female voice, laced with confidence, sounded from behind.

The demon turned around only to come face to face with Prue. Instantly, she waved her arm and used her telekinesis to send him flying through the air. The coffee table in the living room, crashed into pieces as it broke his fall. Before he could get up, she walked over and jammed her right foot against his windpipe, cutting off his air supply.

"Are you the best the Triad could do?" she mocked him. "I think I had more fun when the Source was in power!"

"Let me go!" the demon pleaded in a raspy voice.

"But you didn't say please," Prue cracked.

At the same time, Phoebe and Paige were attempting to ward off other demons. All three of them had been attacked, simultaneously, without much time to react. Recently, these attacks had been increasing in number.

Paige, still inside of the dining room, ducked as a fireball nearly skimmed the top of her head. Phoebe got distracted and while glancing at Paige to make sure she was alright, the demon slapped her sending her down to the ground. With some quick thinking, Phoebe used her legs, wrapping them tightly and securely around the demon's. She pulled at him and it sent him toppling to the floor. Paige watched Phoebe take down the demon but quickly reverted her attention back to her own demon. After failing with his first attempt, Paige's demon approached her.

"Chair!" Paige yelled. It impacted the demon and he exploded.

"Paige! Get to the Book and see if there's a spell!" shouted Phoebe.

Paige quickly orbed out and Phoebe did a quick spin, kick-boxing her demon, and sending him flying across the foyer towards the front door. Taking a brief glance into the living room, she immediately caught sight of another demon approaching Prue from behind. He was carrying an athame in his hand. Phoebe shouted out a warning.

"Prue! Behind you!"

Reacting instantly, Prue spun her head around, saw the approaching demon, and squinted her eyes. The demon flew back through the air, hit the wall, and instantly exploded. After the athame dropped to the floor, she used her hand to bring the knife to her. It slid across the floor and she picked it up, plunging it into the demon below her. Another explosion of dust was left in her wake.

Prue smirked. "Good. Two down, one ..." she was cut off by the sound of Phoebe.

"Uh, Prue?"

She turned around and stammered the rest of her sentence. "To ... go!"

"Make that six!" Phoebe corrected her sister. "Paige, hurry!" She looked up to the ceiling.

The demon that Phoebe had kicked into the foyer of the manor now totaled six. Six identical matches of him. Somehow, he had managed to clone himself within a matter of seconds. This powerful display of dark magic, signified to them that vanquishing this particular demon would probably require the Power of Three.

"Ooh ... not good. They look pissed," cracked Prue.

"Nah, ya think?" Phoebe mocked. "Do something and fast!"

The Clone demons began to encircle them. Prue used her arm to try and move them away. But her attempts were unsuccessful as her power barely made any impact on the six demons approaching them.

"They're immune to our powers, are you kidding me?" Prue reacted.

The clone demon to their right laughed. "Give it up witch. Your powers are no match for the likes of me."

"PAIGE!" Phoebe hollered louder.

Suddenly, Paige orbed back into the living room next to her sisters. She got a quick glance at the cloned demons who approached them. Thank god she had guessed right. She had gotten a quick glance at Phoebe's demon before orbing out of the dining room. His picture was found inside the Book of Shadows.

"Here, I think I got it!" she exclaimed.

"You think?" Prue mocked, glancing at her sister quickly, while moving the couch with her hand so that she could put a block between the three of them and the clone demons fast approaching. "Hey! Just so you know, if we die, I'm coming after you in the afterlife."

"Me too!" cracked Phoebe.

One of the demons tried to circle around and approach her from the side so Phoebe quickly levitated into the air and offered a swift back kick to the chest. The demon went flying backwards into the wall.

Paige rolled her eyes at Prue's remark, at the same time waving her free hand to telekinetically orb and send vases and picture frames hurdling at the demons. "Hey, my orbs can beat your astral projection anytime," she directed back over at Prue. "Even in the afterlife, so just remember that," she joked.

Prue and Phoebe both huddled beside Paige as all three of them began to recite from the paper found in her hands.

_"Power of Three and We sisters three; Call forth the power in this day and hour; An evil so great a demon did sire; So banish these six through brimstone and fire!"_

"NO!" the clone demons wailed.

A heavy wind picked up, blowing the sisters hair around, and then the three sisters watched the six demons being pulled back together as they reformed back into one. Then, he turned to solid, lifeless rock before exploding into fire. And finally, there was nothing.

Prue waved her hand in the air, against the dusty aftermath. "Phew. That sure was a whole lot of demon," she joked.

"Our first Power of Three demon. Together!" Paige clarified.

"Yeah, thank god it worked," added Phoebe.

"Gideon and the rest of the Triad must be getting pretty desperate," surmised Paige.

Prue nodded. "Which is probably why they sent him. To see if the Power of Three still stood a chance. Especially with Piper ..." she trailed off.

"Right," answered Phoebe. "If they could confirm that the Power of Three was broken again, they'd probably make their own move against us."

"Well, luckily for us, you catch up pretty fast," Paige addressed Prue.

"You honestly had doubts?" cracked Prue. "No, but seriously, it may buy us some time but not much. The Power of Three may hold them off for awhile but we know their real game plan is to get their hands on the Ultimate Power."

"Which we won't have without Piper!" Phoebe reminded them. "So, I don't get it. All this time they've been sending your average, lower-level demons to take us on. And yet, they haven't tried once to take us on themselves. I find that kind of odd."

"Well, not if they want the power?" Paige shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, why take us out before we have it to take?"

"Or maybe it's not us they want but the incantation," Prue suggested. "Didn't Billie say something about evil being able to use it?"

"Yeah, something about reading it backwards," Paige tried to recall. "I think. But the incantation is safe. We have it hidden away until Piper ..." She let her voice drift off.

"Comes home! We shouldn't be afraid to say it. She will come home," Prue affirmed with determination.

There was a moment of silence.

They took a moment to reflect on the sad circumstances of the present. Piper had remained comatose with no change since the accident. That was two months ago. The sisters had no choice but to celebrate the start of a brand new year without her. But they visited the hospital daily, remaining vigilante by her bedside, and tried hard to keep up appearances for the sake of the boys. Sometimes they weren't sure about anything but they knew they had to believe.

Wyatt and Chris were mostly confused by the absence of their parents. However, Chris being two, took everything in stride a little bit better. His small mind unable to rationalize the events. It was Wyatt, who would be four soon, that was effected by it the most. With the help of some familiar faces like Aunt Phoebe, Aunt Paige, and Billie, the boys had adjusted to Prue but that didn't stop Wyatt from asking questions. The sisters opted on telling him that their daddy went away to help make their mommy get better so she could come home. But that it might take a little while.

"And where is Billie anyway?" Prue questioned, changing the subject. "She's supposed to be back with the kids so she can make her next class."

"Beats me," answered Paige. "Besides, I may be her whitelighter but she's your daughter. The honor of keeping tabs on that girl passes to you now," she joked.

Prue just smirked and rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

"Actually, thank god, the kids weren't here," reflected Phoebe. "How do we know whether or not some of these attacks are attempts to get them?"

"We don't. But thank god you two showed up when you did," Prue commented.

Paige arched her brows at her sister. "Ah, I don't know about that. You looked like you were doing fine to me. And having fun while you were at it!"

Prue smirked. "Yeah, I was kicking some serious demon butt, wasn't I?" she nodded her head in agreement. "You know, I actually forgot how much I missed this."

Phoebe rolled her eyes in response to that. "Oh please. Give it another few years, you'll be choking on those words. Believe me," she cracked playfully.

"And, Prue? Like ... duh!" Paige dramatized. "Of course you forgot," she added. "I would too if I lived thousands of miles away and didn't, uh, remember who the heck I was? And by the way, you mean to tell me that living in Salem didn't give you the heebie jeevies in the least bit? Of all the places for a witch with amnesia to end up living?"

In a joking manner, Prue arched her brows and narrowed her eyes at her baby sister. She issued her a playful shove before the mood turned serious again. "It wasn't that bad, really."

"Hello? Can you say witch trials?" Paige threw out. "What were the Elders thinking?"

"No kidding. And our poor ancestor can live to tell all about it in the afterlife!" Phoebe laughed. Then, she glanced at her watch. "Okay, so much for my lunch break. I better get back to the office before Elise starts spinning cartwheels."

Prue and Paige looked to each other.

"Uh, spinning cartwheels?" Prue repeated.

"Figure of speech," Phoebe clarified. She walked towards the door, pointing her finger at both sisters. "And no making fun. Either of you. I happen to work for a newspaper advice column. That means I'm allowed to be creative."

"Hm. Yeah, well, how about shifting some of that creativity into helping me over at P3 later on," Prue smirked. "Actually, I'm going to head over there right now," she announced, grabbing for her jacket and purse. "Dad's at the hospital and we need to finish getting ready for tonight. The last thing Piper needs is to come back to a failing club and a house in shambles. Uh, Paige, do you mind keeping a watch on the kids when Billie gets back?"

Paige sighed. "Sure, why not? Just what I wanted to be doing on my day off."

Prue paused at the door and turned around, ready to reconsider. Paige just rolled her eyes.

"Kidding!" she stressed. "Go." She waved her hands.

Prue smiled. "Okay. Thanks. See ya later."

"Bye!" Phoebe shouted, stepping out the door ahead of Prue, as both sisters left through the front door.

Paige just smirked and shook her head as the door closed. Then, turning in the direction of the messy living room, she observed the many pieces of broken table spread across the floor. _Way beyond the point of repairing, _surmised Paige. Feeling lazy, she waved her hand.

"Ah, garbage!" she called out, removing the rubbish out of sight.

And the scattered pieces of table and other debris disappeared and deposited into the trash outside. Paige threw herself onto the couch and grabbed for the TV remote.

**ooooo **

The orbs materialized near the big, stone structure. And that was exactly where he had found her waiting for him.

JD appeared and cautiously approached Lana, who stood waiting on the sidewalk in front of the building. He watched her with some interest while she digested her surroundings. If one didn't know any better, she gave off an appearance of a lost child. Someone that looked out of place and didn't belong there. Her head turned from side to side, observing each passerby with a subtle air of suspicion held within her stare.

A part of him regretted to having agreed to do this but he was a man of his word. So he would at least try to help and lead her in the right direction, hopefully uncovering her mortal origins. Then he'd be gone. But, he would remain careful. After all, she was still a demon. Which meant that she was not to be trusted. Billie was right about that.

"Okay, I'm here. Let's get this over with!" he announced, stepping up to her.

"Why here?" she questioned the young whitelighter.

"It's a public library. I figured we could start by scanning the archives. See if there's any type of newspaper coverage and go from there. But you're sure you don't have any kind of childhood memories with your parents or any other family members?"

JD was recalling bits and pieces of information she had shared with him just before they had rescued Billie from the clutches of the Underworld.

"No. Only Dumain," she answered.

"Okay. Well, it narrows it down a bit. We probably should be looking for any children that went missing under the age of three. Babies, especially," he reasoned. "Now, you're sure about your age?"

"Yes!" she snapped. "Now can we get on with it!"

Lana headed in the direction of the cemented steps leading to the front entrance. JD sighed and shook his head before turning to follow her. While jotting up the stairs, a middle-aged man was in the process of walking down them. As he brushed by her, he knocked into her shoulder.

"Watch it!" she turned around and shouted back.

Turning around and holding up his hands, the man mumbled an apology. "Sorry."

Lana retreated down a few steps until she was standing in front of the man who had turned around to address her. There was a venomous gleam inside of her glare and the tone of her voice was enough to send a chill through its recipient.

"You're sorry? Next time you'll be more than sorry!" she seethed in anger. "Do you have any idea what I can do to you?"

People began to stop and stare. After witnessing the confrontation with the stranger, JD rushed up the steps beside her, grabbing a hold of her elbow.

"Hey! Let go of my arm!" she seethed.

The man continued his decent down the steps and people started to break away from the scene. JD pulled her along and hissed against her ear.

"Look! If you want to find your mortal family, I strongly suggest you try acting a little more human so you don't draw any unwanted attention to yourself. I don't even care if you have to fake it. Just do it. Otherwise, one little mistake of the demon variety, I'm outta' here! And you're on your own. Do we understand each other?"

Lana pulled her arm free from his tight grasp without responding. She continued in her journey to reach the front door of the library as JD watched her from behind. Really, the last thing he needed was for a demonic side show to break loose with flaming fireballs and electrically-charged, energy balls. He continued to follow her.

Down on the sidewalk, the middle-aged man watched with interest. He continued to watch until they disappeared into the library. It was something worth reporting back but he also had a new idea formulating in his mind. Hopefully, something that would get the Triad off his back and make them very happy. The man turned and walked down the side of the building so that he couldn't be seen. Then, he allowed his appearance to transform back into its natural state.

The darklighter, with his dark hair, disappeared amidst his dark orbs.

**ooooo **

He reappeared inside the Underworld. And like a moth to a flame, the Triad immediately sensed his presence. A single flash delivered the three members into the lair.

The darklighter stood firm within the presence of the one evil in the Underworld that could be responsible for decimating him in a milli-second. He had been on the run ever since Billie had managed to escape Gideon's clutches two months ago. Naturally, it had been assumed that he had betrayed them and somehow secured her release since he was the only other demon aware of her location. After all, he had been the one to bring Billie to Gideon and the rest of the Triad.

But the darklighter had other suspicions. At the time of Billie's capture, he had suspected the lingering presence of another but had dismissed it. And now, with the spreading news of Lana missing from the Underworld, his suspicions on who to look at took root. While avoiding the Underworld, the darklighter attempted to use his sensing abilities to track Lana down. If she used her powers, he assumed he would be able to track her through the dark magic. However, much time had passed with no success. That was until now. He had been able to sense the shimmer and then had tracked her to one of the many big buildings in the city found in the mortal world. A library. And then, he had sensed the whitelighter's presence too.

"Do you have a death wish?" the FIRST Triad declared.

The SECOND Triad brought a fireball to life in his hand. "How dare you show your face around these parts after your betrayal?"

"Wait, my lords!" He brought up his hands to thwart his pending demise. "It wasn't me! I swear! But I think I know who it was if you will just allow me to explain!" he pleaded.

"That's preposterous," the THIRD Triad bellowed. "Nobody else knew the location of the girl but you! It was you who betrayed us!"

The other two Triad members produced fireballs and prepared to aim them with the other member who had already created one.

"NO! No," the darklighter begged. "Please, I've located Lana!" he blurted out as a last resort.

The Triad immediately ceased their attack.

"What do you mean you've found Lana?" the FIRST Triad demanded. "How?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you. I believe Lana was in the lair too when I brought you the Charmed One's daughter. I think it was she that freed the girl. With the help of a whitelighter. She's been biding her time up in the mortal world and I waited until she used her powers. Then I was able to track her. When I found her, she was with the whitelighter."

"Impossible! If she had been there when the girl got away, then we would have been able to sense her," objected the SECOND Triad.

"Not necessarily," the FIRST Triad interjected. "Not if she cloaked herself from the collective!"

"But how? There's no way she's strong enough to pull that off on her own," the THIRD Triad member pointed out.

"Or we just underestimated her!" declared the FIRST Triad. "Which only reinforces what Gideon has been stressing all along. We need to find her and banish her from this collective. She has become a grave threat to it!"

The darklighter balked at that revelation. No, they couldn't get rid of her. Not yet. He needed her to make his plan work. She needed to be kept alive a little bit longer.

"But our focus needs to be kept on the Charmed Ones until we acquire the Ultimate Power," the SECOND Triad stressed. "We can't afford to be distracted from our goal!"

"Pardon me, my lords," the darkligher interjected. "But one of the Charmed Ones is now out of commission. Without her, the other sisters don't stand a chance at obtaining the power. Why not take advantage of the situation and take the rest of them out of the equation?"

"Because they still have their Power of Three to back them up," the THIRD Triad member seethed. "Which means we still don't have enough power to stop them!"

"Yes, it seems that the return of the eldest Charmed One has secured that power. Even with the other sister gone," the FIRST Triad elaborated. "Which means, they operate much like us. The Power of Three is interchangeable. All four sisters can use it!"

"How do you know this?" inquired the darklighter.

"Because we've tested it out ourselves," the THIRD Triad added. "We've sent other demons after them to grasp the extent of their strengths and weaknesses. And we just sent a Cloner!"

"Which would require the Power of Three to take him out!" the FIRST Triad interjected.

"And none of them have returned. Not even the Cloner!" the THIRD Triad finished explaining to the darklighter before them.

The darklighter swallowed nervously before continuing. "I have a proposition, my lords."

"And what might that be?" seethed the FIRST Triad.

"I have a plan to help secure the capture of the next generation for you. But, I'll need Lana to remain around a little while longer," he began to explain.

"Absolutely not ..." the SECOND Triad began to object, but was thwarted when the first TRIAD put his hand up to silence the protest.

"Continue!" the FIRST Triad ordered.

"I promise when I'm done, I'll be the one to bring her to you myself. This way you can keep your focus on the Charmed Ones. And the Ultimate Power! Please, just allow me this one opportunity to prove to you it was not I that betrayed you. I am loyal, my lords!"

A long silence ensued.

"Very well!" announced the FIRST Triad. "But we are placing the responsibility of Lana on you, darklighter. And if she interferes with our plans again, you'll be the one to pay the price for it! Are we clear?"

The darkligher bowed his head before them.

"Now go! And don't fail!" came the final instruction. And the darkligher watched as the Triad flashed out before him.

**ooooo **

_She could feel the tiny pelts of water collide with her face and then felt them gently glide down the sides._

_Confusion. But at the same time there was a strong sensation of peace. That was the aura this place gave off. Wherever here was. She felt like she was in this perpetual state of peaceful confusion._

_And then there were the voices. Pleading, tearful, begging for her to return to a place that felt just out of her grasp. They would return on a consistent basis. In the beginning, she made unsuccessful attempts to make contact with them. At first, she thought she recognized the voices but then all recognition began to fade. Her consciousness slipped into her surroundings and she started to block them out. As if they had all been a part of her imagination. And she no longer tried to recall how she had come to be here or for how long._

_Piper was sprawled out under the clear, orange canvas that presented itself in the form of a sky. It was bright even as the rain came pouring down all around her. She opened her mouth to allow entry and swallowed. And a warm, healing sensation proceeded to course throughout her body after doing so. _

_Then, she heard the familiar sounds of giggling penetrate her hearing senses._

_Abruptly, Piper sat up. Her eyes surveyed the beautiful landscape in search of the two, smaller figures that had been appearing, disappearing, and reappearing on occasion. A few times, she had gotten herself within reach but then their forms would just fade, taking their child-like laughter with them._

_"Wait, come back!" Piper would plead in vain._

_Once again, Piper spotted the same two figures. One of a little boy and the other of a little girl. Through the long strands of grass, she spotted them running in the distance. The length of the grass helping to shield their identities. She began walking and picked up her pace in order to catch up._

_The rain had merged with the shiny, golden grass and the moisture glistened in the sunlight. Faster. And faster. Her pace picked up with the sounds of the beating coming from her heart. She was almost there. She would reach them this time. She had to reach them before they vanished into thin air. And finally, she was there. _

_The two figures had stopped running. All sound had ceased and silence ensued. There was no more laughter. No more sounds of conspiratorial giggling from the two. Yes, definitely, this was a little boy and a little girl. With their backs turned to her. Amazingly, this time, they remained. They did not disappear. _

_Gently, Piper reached out her hand and placed it against the little girl's shoulder. Slowly, she turned around until she was facing Piper. The little boy also turned around._

_"Who are you?" Piper's voice trailed to the little girl's ears, as a sudden jolt of familiarity struck her. _

_But it was gone just as quickly._

**ooooo **

The men hustled around, boxes in hand, stumbling over each other in the process.

"Oh my god, please be careful with those" Prue panicked, reaching out to grab one of the boxes about to meet the floor. "No drinks, no people. No people, no nightclub. No nightclub, one pissed off sister when she gets back! Got me?"

"Yeah, I got'cha, lady," the man uttered. He turned around to carry on with his workload.

Prue let out a deep breath and set the box down on the counter behind her. It was part of the remaining shipment needed for tonight. The sisters had been forced to close down the club temporarily, for the last month or so, until they got some affairs in order. With everything going on all at once, it proved to be stressful. Between taking care of the boys, remaining close to Piper, the increasing demon attacks, and even with Victor helping out, it all just became too much to handle. However, the sisters knew that keeping the club closed couldn't continue indefinitely. Especially not with Piper's medical bills pouring in. So tonight was reopening night.

"Hey, lady, where do you want these?" the voice called out from behind her.

"Here, I'll take it," another voice volunteered.

As Prue turned around, she was greeted by the sight of Billie taking a stack of boxes from another worker. While attempting to walk, she struggled to balance them.

"Ah, wait, gimme," Prue rushed forward to grab the top boxes, which helped to even out the weight and Billie's balance. "Got it!"

She walked back to the counter and placed the other boxes with the one she had retrieved moments before. Billie followed and proceeded to do the same.

"Thanks. What'cha got in there anyway? Glasses made out of granite?"

"Haha. Funny," Prue cracked. "No, it's for happy hour. And aren't you supposed to be in class anyway?" She turned around to address her.

"Uh, yeah, well the professor was a no show so ... I decided to pay a little trip over here," she explained cheerfully. "Oh, and to see if you needed any help since Phoebe won't be able to make it," she finished, gritting her teeth.

Reaching over the counter, Prue grabbed for the sheets being used to keep inventory of the new shipment. "Uh-huh. Right," she answered. "Great," she muttered under her breath.

"Oh, but don't worry, she promised to still be here for the reopening," Billie quickly reassured her. "I guess things just got a little crazy for her over at the office!"

"Well, things are about to get a little crazy here if we don't get this all sorted out in another couple hours." Prue glanced at her watch. "And it's already past four!"

Billie watched as Prue threw herself against the counter in defeat. Within the past two months, their relationship remained pretty casual. And that was mainly due to the fact that it seemed like Prue was just as uncomfortable with being thrust into a new mother role as Billie was uncomfortable with the idea of having another mother. Billie opened up with a few things about herself but there was still alot of ground to cover. On both ends.

Prue collected her bearings as she pulled herself back and away from the counter. Then, she used her breath to blow pieces of stray hair away from her mouth. "And the kids?" she asked Billie.

"Oh, they're with Paige. But I think she took them back to her place for awhile. Something to do with Henry. I think she's making him dinner or something to make up for all the time they've been apart. And to ask him to keep an eye on the kids so she can make the reopening in time."

"Right. Well, at least she has someone to go home to," Prue mumbled under her breath.

She knew she wasn't meant to, but Billie heard it anyway. The one thing she had been able to observe in the time that she had been around Prue, around her 'mother', was that she definitely had this tendency to keep feelings bottled up. However, in addition to now knowing that, Billie never dared to tread on what she thought might be dangerous ground. Because, truthfully, she had no idea what kind of reaction to expect if she asked the wrong question at the wrong time or had no way of knowing if her suggestions would just be shot to hell. But it was also small moments like these, and comments like what she just caught, which helped to give a little insight into what really bothered a mother she knew so little about. So, guessing from the innuendo just made, not having her husband around was bothering her more then she would let on around people. Billie had been a little curious herself and wanted to ask some questions about Andy. After all, he was supposedly her father, another stranger to her, but still a connection there nevertheless. But she had decided to put all of that on the back-burner.

Billie just smiled. "Hey, I'm sure Leo knows what he's doing," she tried to reassure her.

Leo had also been summoned away two months ago and the sisters hadn't seen nor heard from him since. This created some extra emotional baggage for Phoebe as well, who was separated from Coop, because he too was absent.

Prue smiled back. "Yeah, let's hope. Because Wyatt and Chris need him back here. So does Piper!"

"Right," Billie nodded in response. It amazed her how fast her mother could take the attention off of herself by spinning a comment that was directed for her and making it be about everyone else around her. She had provided a small, easy opening for her mother to talk about it but Billie took it as a sign to leave it alone. So she dropped it. "Anyway," she sighed, "what can I do?"

"Okay, well, help me start to unpack these and I'll keep count," Prue changed the subject back to their immediate problem at hand. "We need to hurry."

Billie pulled one of the boxes towards her and opened it. Inside, she found numerous glasses set in rows. She started to remove them with caution, while performing a mental count. And as Billie counted, Prue listened and recorded.

"Four more!" announced Billie.

"Uh, Prue Halliwell?" came a voice from behind them.

Billie turned her head to give the man a glance over but Prue didn't turn to look at all.

"You can just put the boxes on the floor!" instructed Prue, assuming the man was just another one of the many workers assigned to the shipments P3 had been expecting.

"No, sorry. I'm not here on account of P3," the man corrected her. "Well," he smirked, looking around. "Not in the way you might think."

This caught Prue's attention as she turned around to address him. "Well, can I help you?"

"Yes, you can. Are you Prue Halliwell?" he asked.

"Yes," Prue answered him, her face showing signs of the confusion she was no doubt beginning to feel.

"And this is Piper Halliwell's club, is it not?" he continued.

Scrunching up her brows from slight annoyance, she answered him back again. "Um, yes. Once again, who are you and how can I help you?"

The man smiled. "You just did," he replied. Then he reached out and handed her an envelope and Prue accepted it. "Thank you. Have a nice day."

"What was that about?" Billie asked, looking at Prue.

Silence ensued as Prue tore open the envelope and proceded to read the document. A few moments later she slammed the document against the top of the counter.

"Damn it. The hospital is coming after Piper's assets. Because of all the medical bills," Prue groaned, fighting back the migraine that was threatening to take over.

"What? They can do that?" came Billie's surprised reaction.

"They just DID!" Prue answered, grabbing the document off the counter and walking away.

"Wait! Where are you going?" inquired Billie. "And what about the rest of this stuff?"

Prue continued to walk in the direction of the back room without turning around. "I'm making a quick call. Just pick up where I left off and I'll be right back."

Okay, thought Billie. She quickly wondered if things could get any worse. But then on second thought, she decided to re-amend that idea. Of course it could get worse, she answered for herself. It seems like the universe gets some sick thrill out of answering that question for people by showing them just how much worse it could actually get.

Billie reverted her attention back to the task at hand.

**ooooo **

JD sat in front of the computer screen, dazed and confused.

This was proving to be more of a challenge then he would have liked. When he had made the suggestion to scan the archives, he was thinking back to his time when one could actually scan the newspapers themselves. He didn't anticipate modern technology standing in his way as he sat there blankly observing the flat-screened conception with a variation of symbols and words sitting across the screen. He had no idea what to do. Lana sat beside him.

"What's the problem?" she hissed into his ear.

"The problem?" he mimicked. "The problem is that I've never seen one of these in my life. Let alone tried to use one. Maybe we should wait for Billie and come back?"

"No!" she objected. "I don't have that kind of time to be wasting. The rest of the Triad is going to be coming after me. I need to do this now!"

"But I don't know how!" he countered in a harsh whisper.

"Well, then, figure it out," she countered back. "How hard can it be?"

Impatiently, Lana raised her hands as an electrical current came to life. Placing her hand against the computer, her energy generated sparks until it blew causing the screen to go blank and smoke to erupt from the connecting wires. The lights over head began to flicker. Suddenly, they drew everyone's attention.

"Oh, no! What did you do?" hissed JD, in a panic.

"What seems to be the problem over there?" a stern, female voice could be heard from the background.

A librarian was approaching them from another direction and JD's instinctive reaction was to jump to his feet and pull Lana up with him.

"Owww!" she wailed. Lana threw him a glare and rubbed her arm.

"No problem here," JD answered the woman in a casual manner. Then, he turned to Lana. "Move! Now! And I mean fast!" he instructed.

The two of them turned around and ran as fast as their feet could carry them out of the building.

**ooooo**

_The little brown-haired girl with the bright smile and freckled face stared intently at the woman standing before her. However, the little dark-haired boy appeared a little more timid and he took a few steps backwards in a shyly manner._

_Piper smiled back at both of them. "It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you," she tried to reassure them when she took notice of the little boy's sudden reaction._

_The little boy with the big, blue eyes stood staring at the woman who had addressed them. At first, she thought she had only recognized the girl. That feeling had passed but now it returned as she stood observing the boy at a closer distance. And she picked up on that same odd sense of familiarity she had felt when she used to listen to the voices. _

_"What are your names?" she asked them._

_"Melinda," the little girl answered her. She turned to look at the little boy beside her but his only response was to shrug his shoulders and look down. "Okay, I'll tell her for you," the little girl responded. "And his name is Seth! He's a little shy right now."_

_Hm, strange. It was almost as if the little girl had been able to somehow read the little boy's thoughts, Piper observed. Then, she flashed them a warm smile._

_"Oh. Well, that's okay," she replied in a calm, loving voice. "It's very nice to finally meet you Melinda and Seth! Do you mind if I ask you a question?"_

_Piper looked to both children._

_The little girl looked to the little boy as if to seek his response. Then, she turned back with her bright smile still in place. She nodded her small head enthusiastically while the brown hair that was shoulder length moved in sync with the nods._

_"Sure," her sweet voice sang. "It's okay to ask us both the question."_

_"Good," Piper laughed. "Do you know where we are? And why are you here all by yourselves?"_

_"Hey! That's two questions," the little boy suddenly blurted out, holding up two of his fingers to demonstrate._

_The little girl brought her hand up to cover her mouth while she giggled._

_Piper broke out into a smile of her own. "Yes, I guess you're right!"_

_"Besides, we're not here by ourselves," his young voice objected. "You're here with us!"_

_Guess he got over the shy factor pretty quickly, surmised Piper. However, she couldn't help but admire the sudden emergence of a persistent nature. It actually reminded her of someone only, at the moment, she couldn't recall just who._

_"That's true. I am here with you. Do you know where here is?"_

_The little girl nodded her head in affirmation. "A-huh! We're in the In-Between realm. Alot of us come here until it's our time," she explained._

_Piper's brow furrowed. "Time for what sweetie?"_

_"Time to be born," she answered back. "But you need to go back mommy or else I'll never get to be born!" Her voice turned sad. "Seth will leave me and get born and I'll be here all alone._

_Piper's eyes widened in shock. MOMMY?_

**ooooo**

Phoebe kicked in the door to her darkened apartment, the tension and built-up frustration from another day taking its toll. She knew she needed to get herself ready for the reopening of the club tonight because Prue and Paige would be expecting her there.

She had just come home after another long visit in the hospital. A part of her felt guilty for lying to Prue when she told Billie to tell her that work at the office piled over but she just needed to be with Piper. And being at the club tonight was something she was dreading because none of it felt right without Piper.

However, her thoughts were immediately put on hold. Something didn't feel right. She used her hand to find the light switch on the wall, she flicked it on, but was then immediately greeted by a forceful blow to the face that sent her flying through the air and onto the small table in front of her couch. She thrashed around in the smashed pieces of table before taking note of her assailant.

"Let's see what you got witch," the demon sneered.

Damn, Phoebe, think! Quickly, she gazed around the apartment until her eyes landed on the balcony doors. Then, she scrambled away from the debris, crawling around the couch as fast as her body could carry her. At the same time, the demon menacingly followed and she continued to crawl until she had him in the position she wanted: In front of the balcony doors.

"The incantation, witch? Where is it?" he bellowed.

"What incantation?" she played dumb.

The demon brought an energy ball to life, preparing to throw it in Phoebe's direction.

"No, wait! I know where it is. I'll tell you were it is!" she lied.

"Where?" snarled the demon.

Nodding her head in the direction of the balcony, she answered him. "There!"

While the demon distracted himself and turned around to look, Phoebe used the moment to lift herself off the floor. As the demon turned back to look at her, she immediately levitated herself into the air allowing her foot to make contact with the demon's face. She kicked him and sent him crashing through the glass doors and over the balcony. Phoebe lowered her body back to the floor. Slowly, she approached the balcony edge, careful to avoid the shards of broken glass lying everywhere beneath her feet. Peeking over the side, she witnessed the demon disintegrate after impacting the ground. She glanced around nervously.

"I really hope nobody saw that!"

Suddenly, the stinging sensation coming from her face grabbed her attention as she made her way back inside and into the bathroom. As she gazed into the mirror, a huge black and blue mark was beginning to show down the side of her face. Evidence of a very nasty bruise.

Great, she thought.

**ooooo**

Henry sat around the kitchen table with the kids. He was keeping a watch on them so they could finish dinner and Paige could get ready for the reopening of P3.

Suddenly, Paige came around the corner in a fitting, knee-length dress. She was in the mist of trying to pull her hair up when Henry took notice.

"Wow," he complimented her. "You look amazing."

"Are you sure?" she asked, feeling insecure. "Because I wasn't sure whether I should wear the black or the white one?" Paige glanced over at the clock. "And now, of course, I'm running late. Prue's going to be mad."

"Prue's going to be fine. Phoebe will be there with her," insisted Henry. "Just give her a call on the way out the door and let her know you're on the way. Besides, you had the kids with you, I'm sure she'll understand."

"I know, but still ..." Paige's voice drifted off.

Then, suddenly, their entire conversation was interrupted by the sudden appearance of three demons, shimmering into the kitchen. Startled, everyone turned to look.

**ooooo**

The dark atmosphere, with the rotating lights, filled P3 as the multitude of dancers swayed to and fro. A mixture of blue, white, and red flashing reflected off of both the customers and the dance floor.

Anxiously, Prue glanced back and forth awaiting the arrival of both Phoebe and Paige. Where the heck were they, she wondered. They were already forty-five minutes late past opening. Then, she noticed Billie squeezing through the myriad of dancers.

"Any sign of them?" Prue raised her voice, to carry it over the loud beat of the music.

"No," she answered back as she reached the counter. "I tried calling but they're not picking up the phone!"

"Great, where the hell are they?" asserted Prue.

"Don't worry, I think everything's going great," Billie insisted. She looked around. "I mean, look. Everyone's having a great time." But she noticed the worried expression that still graced her mother's face. "They'll show. Maybe they got stuck in traffic or something?"

"Maybe," Prue relented. She wanted to relax but she had this gut-wrenching feeling telling her that something was wrong. Or was about to go wrong.

Billie reached out for the glass on the counter as Prue swatted her hand away.

"Hey, I was just looking," she insisted.

Prue smirked. "Right. Well, let's hold off on the 'looking' until you're twenty-one, shall we? I may not remember when you were born but I can certainly do the math!" She yanked the glass away.

Billie responded with a simple roll of her eyes.

Suddenly, everyone in the club was alerted to a loud booming sound that penetrated everywhere. Next, Prue and Billie were alerted to the breaking sounds of screaming coming from the dancers on the dance floor. Masses of people began to panic and run for the exits, while bolts of fire made their way up the walls. Electrical sparks could be seen overhead as the lighting attached to ceiling began to break away. The music stopped.

"Uh-oh!" Billie shouted as her eyes scanned everywhere, searching for the cause, a cause she was almost certain to be demonic in nature. And then that's when she spotted him. "Hey!" she shouted, instinctively moving forward to try and stop him from escaping.

"Billie! Duck!" shouted Prue, as the light structure dangling from the ceiling finally came flying down. The cord had snapped.

Instantly, Billie looked up and then took a deep dive onto the floor, sliding into the masses of people trampling over her. The light structure barely missed her as it crashed onto the floor, shattering everywhere. Prue pushed through the crowds of panicking people to reach her daughter. Grabbing a firm hold of her arm, she pulled her up from the floor even while others still roughly pushed by them.

"Over there!" Billie pointed and coughed from the growing smoke that was now filtering into her lungs.

Prue scanned the crowd. Then, she caught sight of who Billie was referring to. The demon released an evil sneer before shimmering out of P3. Next, Prue's attention was drawn to the growing flames that were engulfing the walls throughout the rest of the club. The fire was spreading and spreading fast.

"Since when do demons risk exposure?" questioned Billie.

"They don't! Not without a very good reason," Prue answered. "But come on, we need to get out of here. This place is gonna go up."

Prue and Billie pushed their way back through the people until they reached the back room and the emergency exit leading to safety.

**ooooo **

At the sight of the three demons standing inside her kitchen, her immediate thoughts drifted to the kids and their safety.

"Bedroom!" Paige called out.

The three kids were telekinetically-orbed out and then reappeared safely inside the bedroom. Once there, Wyatt immediately lifted his shield in order to protect Molly, Chris, and himself. However, startled by the sudden demon attack, Chris had begun to cry.

Unfortunately, because of Paige's urgency to protect the kids, one of the demons had been able to grab Henry without much trouble. An athame was being held tightly against his throat, drawing a small amount of blood.

"Let him go!" she demanded.

"Paige, go on! Get the kids and get out of here!" Henry insisted. However, the end result was for the grip on the knife to tighten against his neck. "Aah!" He gritted his teeth against the painful infliction.

The demon laughed. "How romantic. And here I thought chivalry was dead," he sneered some more. "But I'm afraid this one's going to cost you, witch!"

"I said let him go!"

The demon kept his sneer directed at her. "The incantation. For him!" they ordered. And then that was it, all three demons shimmered out of the kitchen with Henry in tow.

"No!" Paige pleaded, as she took an instinctive step forward.

But it was too late. They were gone and she hadn't had enough time to react and save both Henry and the kids at the same time. And now Henry would pay the price. She knew being married to him would only hurt him in the end. There was only one thing left to do.

Get to Prue and Phoebe.

* * *

**To Be Continued: **Thanks for reading. And don't forget to review because they do help me to know that people are still reading and interested. The Christmas holiday is coming up and I'm going to try and see if I can get another chapter done during that time. **:o)**


	28. When It Rains, It Pours!

Thanks for the reviews ... **I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts**, **charmedgirlalyssa-phoebe**, **Prue and Andy, cancer-chris, anajet, and Charmed1979**. And to anyone who celebrates, I hope you had a Merry Christmas! **;o)**

**I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts:** Happy to hear that you like Prue/Billie's interaction. I'm trying to write it realistically. Which is a gradual progression b/c I just don't feel that a mother/daughter relationship happens overnight.

But please allow me to thank you once again for always taking your time to review. I appreciate it alot because you are one of my consistent readers/reviewers that has stuck with the story since you began reading it. I hope you continue to enjoy the story until its end. **:o) **

**charmedgirl: **Thanks for sticking by the story. I know sometimes it's hard to keep up when the updates are farther apart but I still appreciate your input when I do update.

In answer to your question, I do plan on giving the readers a glimpse at Phoebe/Paige's kids. But that hasn't come yet. The only ones pregnant right now are Piper and Prue. But you are right about Melinda being her daughter. The little boy will belong to Prue (and Andy).

Right now, Piper's soul is basically stuck/lost inside the In-Between Realm. It's a realm where souls about to enter the mortal realm temporally exist until they are born. Then, they unite with their physical bodies. So, Piper will need to reunite with her body in order to come back.

**Prue and Andy: **Welcome on board. Yes, as my pen-name shows, I love Prue/Andy too, lol. So never fear. There will be a happy ending for them. I do appreciate the concept of "angst/drama" during the course of a story but I'm not one that likes to see it unresolved or to leave it unresolved in my own writing. And I agree, I think they make a cute, little family. **;o) **

**cancer-chris: **In answer to most of your questions, yes. The story reveals all that. As for Billie, I think we should expect her to be naive. After all, she's only a teenager and doesn't have the experience of the Charmed Ones yet. We learn from our mistakes.

You asked why Gideon said Wyatt and Molly's magic was linked? Because the children are related (1st cousins) and they're both part of the Twice Blessed Generation. And no, Leo's not going to be too happy when he finds out about Gideon.

**anajet: **Glad you are enjoying this. Thanks for the compliment. I'm honored that you find this story one of the best. And thanks for the Christmas greetings. I hope yours went well too! **:o) **

**Charmed1979: **I'm glad that the story has kept your interest. I try my best, lol. In answer to your question, yes. And the boy will be Prue's. Hope your holidays went well.

**Author's Note: **Oh, I just wanted to make a quick announcement to let readers know that I have been trying to edit/re-edit some of the previous chapters in the story while I work on new chapters. It's nothing big and it doesn't alter the story premise/plot. Some grammatical errors have been brought to my attention so I've been fixing them. There's also been some minor dialogue/sentence structure replacement in a few places so there's a better flow. So, if you've reread some chapters to catch up/refresh yourself with the story and noticed some of these changes, fear not. It's not in your head, lol. Just wanted to make you guys aware of it.

Now on with the next chapter ...

* * *

**Chapter 27: When it Rains, it Pours!**

The blaring sirens could be heard in the distance, approaching fast.

With a blanket wrapped around her, Prue paced back and forth. Billie's cell phone was pressed firmly against her ear and it was her third attempt to reach either Phoebe or Paige. But she was having no success. She stood a safe distance from P3 as the blazing colors of yellow and orange meshed together, shooting up towards the night sky.

"Come on, Phoebe, pick up," she pleaded into the thick, moist air.

The police units already on the scene began drawing the yellow tape, sealing off the bystanders from the burning building. It also started to drizzle but neither the police presence nor the impending rain shower did little to deter the crowd of spectators. Everyone appeared oddly mesmerized and intent on sticking around until the club met its final end. A burnt down, black, ashy end on top of the cemented surface found just beneath it.

Billie watched the scene unfold before her, rubbing her arms underneath the blanket that was providing her some extra warmth. She stood a few, distant feet away from where Prue was pacing and watched the fire trucks and ambulances arrive on the scene. Then, her attention was drawn to the female figure pushing her way through the crowds of people.

"Phoebe, thank god," she mumbled. "Phoebe, over here! Hey, it's Phoebe!" she shouted over to Prue, making her way towards her aunt at the same time.

Prue turned around and glanced at Billie's retreating form. Upon catching sight of Phoebe, she slammed the cell phone shut and proceeded in the same direction. As both she and Billie approached, they quickly noted that Paige was a few steps back, hidden behind some of the spectators as she desperately tried to push through and keep pace with Phoebe.

"What the hell happened?" Phoebe exclaimed as the distance between her, Billie, and Prue closed. "We could see the flames a block away from here."

"Yeah, we even had to park the car and walk the rest of the way," Paige chimed in, finally breaking through and joining the others. "This place is like a zoo!"

"No kidding," commented Billie, looking around.

"Short version? We had an other-worldly visitor. And I'm not talking little, green spacemen," cracked Prue. "And where have you guys been?" she interrogated. "Neither of you would answer our calls."

"Because we ran into some trouble of our own," clarified Phoebe. "You know, that D-word kind of trouble? Someone was waiting for me when I got home. Paige and I brought the kids to dad's. That's why we're so late getting here. I was in a rush, met up with Paige, and we managed to leave our cell phones back at her apartment."

"And it looks like we made it just in time for the fireworks," Paige shook her head in disbelief towards the fiery display before them. "Sorry. I didn't want to risk orbing us in. Otherwise, we would've been here sooner."

"Glad we didn't!" Phoebe cracked. "Walking out of there crispy or fried was definitely not on P3's venue for tonight. And let me be the first to say there's still alot I hope to experience in my life, but knowing what it feels like to be a cooked chicken doesn't count.

"Prue, they have Henry!" Paige quickly interjected. "And we need to find him before anything happens to him."

"What?" Prue exclaimed.

"Three of them just appeared out of nowhere. In my kitchen apartment of all places. My attention went straight to the kids. When I was distracted, they grabbed him."

"That's the worst of the news," added Phoebe. "The other bad part is that you were right earlier. They're after the incantation. So take your best guess what it is they want in exchange for Henry?"

"Great," Prue mumbled. She sighed, bringing her hand up against her forehead. While shaking her head, she shut her eyes for a brief moment.

"So. I guess that explains the cocky but bold entrance here," Billie exerted.

"To send a message," surmised Prue. "A big message. That once the Underworld has the Ultimate Power there won't be a need to shield themselves anymore."

"Which means we need to get to the Book and figure out what to do," Paige announced, heavy determination shining through her. "And fast. We can't let him die! I won't let him die!"

"Sweetie, he won't," Phoebe tried to ease her baby sister's fears. "Without him, they know they won't get the incantation from us."

Her sister's reasoning did little to reassure Paige. "Say's who?" she countered. "They're demons, Phoebe. What's to stop them from killing him anyway. Or afterwards. He's being used to spring a trap. A trap that's meant for us and we all know they'll be aiming to take us out when we come. With or without that stupid incantation!"

"Paige, calm down. I know that. And I understand why you're upset but we'll find a way to bring him back safely, I promise."

"We should keep our voices down," Billie interjected, glancing around nervously. She wanted to make sure nobody was overhearing the conversation.

Prue watched Paige. She felt nothing but sympathy go out to her youngest sister at the predicament she found herself in because she could relate those feelings to Andy and what it felt like to be separated from him.

"Phoebe's right," Prue interjected gently. "We all need to stay calm until we come up with a plan. And I know it's hard to do, believe me. It's just that there's no point in getting yourself all worked up about what might happen when we know nothing for sure."

Paige took a deep breath. "Look, I know all that makes perfect, logical sense. It's just that if anything happens to him because of me, I'll never forgive myself."

As a comforting gesture, Prue reached out her hand and placed it on Paige's crossed arms. She smiled sympathetically. "Which is why we won't let it come to that. So, let's focus. We'll get back to the manor and the Book like you said. And work from there."

"Prudence Halliwell?" a voice called out from behind them.

Prue froze. "Or you'll be getting back there first," she corrected in a mocking fashion.

Turning around, she came face to face with a man she had never seen before. Although, she did suspect who he most likely was and why he was seeking her out. Her suspicions were confirmed when the man flashed Prue his badge as both of her sisters and Billie stood watching from the sidelines.

"What can I do for you officer?" Prue addressed him.

"Actually, it's Inspector Richardson," he corrected her in a bold manner. "I was told that a Prudence Halliwell was the one I should speak to. You the owner of this club?"

"Actually, it's Prue!" came her own bold reply back. Prue didn't like his demeanor and she couldn't resist the temptation to mimic him. "My sister owns it but I'm in charge until she gets back."

Immediately, Inspector Richardson picked up on her apparent disdain for him. He pulled out his pen and notepad, ready to record whatever information she supplied him with. "Oh really. So when exactly would that be?" he countered in his cocky tone.

"Right." Prue quickly realized she wasn't going to get out of this interrogation as fast as she would like to. "Um, would you please excuse me a minute, Inspector?" she responded, in a sugary tone laced with fake-ness.

While turning back around to face her sisters, Prue rolled her eyes. As she took a few steps backwards, she received a smirk from Billie and looks of understanding from both Phoebe and Paige. She huddled in closer to them so she wouldn't be in direct earshot of the Inspector.

"We got it," Phoebe immediately acknowledged, nodding her head in acceptance. "We'll meet you back at the house after you finish dealing with him."

Prue nodded her head. "See what you can find. It sounds like you two got a closer look than we did anyway."

"They did seem familiar to me," added Paige.

"Hey, I can help?" Billie automatically volunteered. With the looks she received from the others, she began to protest. "C'mon. It won't be the power of three but three heads are still better than two, right? At least until you get back?"

"Go. Just be careful!" Prue asserted to Billie. Billie nodded in response.

"Alright. Let's get going then," Phoebe spoke up.

"I'll try to wrap this up as fast as I can," Prue offered. "Sorry."

"Uh-huh. Good luck with that one. He seems like a real piece of work." Phoebe rolled her own eyes in reference to the Inspector.

As both her daughter and two sisters walked away, disappearing into the crowd, Prue turned back around to readdress the Inspector. Inspector Richardson also watched with intent interest as the other three women vanished from sight.

"The blonde is a potential witness to a crime!" the Inspector asserted strongly, nodding in the direction of the retreating women. "She shouldn't be going anywhere. I may need to question her."

"The _blonde_," Prue reiterated with emphasis, "has nothing to say that will be of any help to you. Whatever questions you have can go through me," she asserted back, in a protective manner, with her arms crossed. "And what crime would you be referring to, Inspector?"

"Arson," he answered back in a calm fashion. "And I intend to have this matter investigated to the fullest degree. So any information coming from any witnesses here tonight will be helpful."

His immediate conclusion threw Prue for a loop. He asserted this allegation with such certainty. And without a formal investigation being completed. But, in addition to that, there was an edge to his voice that caused a bell of alarm to go off for her. It caused her to question his motivation and what drove his determination. He almost came across like a man on a mission rather than an Inspector questioning a potential witness to a possible arson.

Putting that momentary speculation to the side, her thoughts returned to seeking an explanation as to what evidence suggested foul play. But then again, how many people could attest to what they possibly saw inside that club?

"Arson, Inspector? And why would someone want to do that?"

"Well, Ms. Halliwell. It just so happens that in my line of work and experience, there can be any number of reasons. Ranging from your typical psychotic who gets off on playing with his matches to someone who may have a score to settle," the Inspector countered back in a cocky tone. "Which I don't find that far-fetched considering your recent association with Homeland Security?"

Prue shook her head in confusion. "Homeland Security? Sorry, but you have me lost. Am I suppose to know what that insinuation means?" she challenged.

Inspector Richardson reverted his attention back to his notepad as he began flipping through it. When he reached the page he sought, he stopped. Prue watched him, eyes narrowed, not liking where this line of question appeared to be leading his suspicions. Directly at them.

"Uh-huh. Here we go. About fourteen months ago. Homeland Security supposedly offers witness protection by staging your deaths. All this was supposedly done in exchange for classified information pertaining to national security. When your safety was insured, you were allowed to return home out of hiding. Yada, yada, yada," he added after reading from his notepad.

Prue's bewildered feelings only intensified at that particular revelation. And because she had no idea what was true and what wasn't during that time while she was gone, there was no other choice except to try and play it off as best she could. Especially without her sisters here to help. However, when she failed to respond right away, he continued to mock her.

"Please Ms. Halliwell. Don't look so surprised. Journalists were all over this when the news broke sometime back. In fact, the agent in charge of your arrangement was very forthcoming about it. Both live-and-in person all over the television screen I might add. Agent Murphy, I think his name was?"

"What's your point?" she asserted firmly.

"My point, Ms. Halliwell, is that maybe you've made more enemies than you should have," he challenged. There was an icy glare to his stare. "So why don't we stop playing games."

"Games, Inspector?" she repeated. It was very clear to Prue who was playing the game. "Meaning what exactly?"

"Meaning you know exactly what I'm talking about," he pressed.

Prue furrowed her brows. "Hm. Wish I could say that I do," she mocked him. "But one thing I do know is that classified information for the government usually means just that. Classified information!" she tried to continue playing it off. "So what don't you get about that?"

A smug smirk settled across the man's face as dawning realization hit. He removed the toothpick from his mouth, the same one he had been chomping on throughout most of the interrogation. After throwing it to the ground, he crossed his arms in contemplative thought, shaking his index finger at her.

"Wait a minute. You were the sister that wasn't around. The one that moved to New York over five years ago, right? Got married or something like that. Then your husband died and you moved back here with your little girl. Very recently too."

Prue shrugged her shoulders acknowledging his new-found revelation and arched her brows mockingly. "Well. So much for being up-to-date on all your information, Inspector. The right information that is."

Inspector Richardson smirked. "Must be all those P names. I can never recall all of them," he excused himself. "But ya know, I must admit, being a widow seems to suit you so much better. It's just too bad someone had to die in order for that to happen. Looks like some of those threats against national security finally caught up with you in the end too, huh?"

The man's indirect insinuation struck a deep cord with Prue and she lashed out.

"With _no_ due respect, Inspector, go to hell. I don't know what you're implying here but my husband was ten times the man you'll ever be. And a far better Inspector seeing as how he gave up his life to demon scum far more intimidating than you. It's very clear to me who the one playing games here is. And since I fail to see how his death is in anyway related to this incident whatsoever or why I'm standing here being badgered over a fire that can be accidental, I'll just be on my way now."

After her bold declaration, Prue spun around on her heels intent on getting herself back to the manor and her sisters. However, that was before the next resonating comeback caused her to stop in her tracks. She turned back around to face him, her glare still set firmly in place. But her demeanor did nothing to deter the man standing behind her.

"Demon scum?" He had laughed. "Interesting choice of words, Ms. Halliwell."

"Figure of speech," she quickly asserted.

Prue just continued to glare at him. She immediately chastised herself for her careless slip of the tongue. Despite the literal context linked to how Andy met his end, she hadn't meant for _demon _to come across so literally. It was intended as an indirect, figurative insult towards him. However, on reflection, his response to it had almost seemed to imply that he knew much more about her, more about all of them, then he was letting on. It caused momentary alarm to pass straight through her. Quite frankly, she had become rather unsettled by this whole game of cat-and-mouse he clearly had set into motion.

"Right," he answered, changing the subject. "But my apologies. I was merely reinforcing that your independent nature appears to make you more suited for the single life. I meant absolutely no disrespect to your deceased husband."

Before continuing, Inspector Richardson proceeded to pull out a cigarette and light it up. He took his time to inhale and exhale, blowing the toxic fumes into the air. Annoyed by the filtering of smoke in her direction, Prue made a face and waved her hand against it. Then, he pulled it away from his mouth, flicked it, and then brought it back down to his side.

"However, I guess the truth must hit a little closer to home. More so than I had originally anticipated," he threw out, a smug expression back in place. "Your sister. Piper? The one that owns the club?" he continued on, nodding his head in the direction of the former club. A club that was now completely engulfed by the flames. "Or perhaps I should say _owned_. Anyway, I heard about her unfortunate accident. That's such a shame."

"Mmm ..." Prue mumbled, weary of what she considered to be his false sense of sincerity.

"No, really," he insisted. "I had two, younger sisters myself once. It's tragic dealing with the loss of loved ones. Take tonight for instance. Hopefully, nobody was fatally injured. I certainly wouldn't want to be the one living with that on my conscious."

And there it was again. That cocky smugness along with a hidden innuendo. However, Prue did her best to maintain control. Briefly, she glanced around at the masses of people and the awaiting ambulances nearby. Some feelings of guilt did assail her but she quickly squashed it so the Inspector wouldn't be able to see the effect his words had on her.

"I don't wish death on anyone, Inspector." She kept her response simple and formal. "That lies in the hands of a much higher power. One I'm not eager to meet anytime soon," she explained, remembering her own encounter with the Angel of Death years before. "And I'm confidant that my sister will be back home as soon as she recovers. So, now, if you'll please excuse me, I do need to be going. In case you haven't noticed, I do have alot to deal with here."

Prue turned back around, intent on leaving this time, determined to reach her destination. As the Inspector watched her go, he shouted out his final innuendo of the evening.

"You know Ms. Halliwell, with a comatose sister and the cost of health-care being what it is today, I'm fairly certain that an insurance claim would make a nice hefty sum to cover all those medical expenses. How am I doing?"

Prue momentarily halted her movement without turning back around. Then, after a few seconds, she resumed walking in the same direction without responding to the thinly, veiled accusation.

"We'll be in touch!" came his last retort.

Inspector Richardson took one last puff from his cigarette before throwing it to the ground, stomping on it with his foot, and putting an end to the short lifespan of second-hand smoke. Then, he turned around and walked away.

**ooooo**

_Piper heard the words over and over again. Like a broken record, the same words would repeat themselves. Of course, she knew it was all inside her mind. After all, the two child-like figures disappeared some time ago and hadn't returned. So, why did those words from the little girl bother her so much?_

_**Mommy**_

_**You have to go back **_

_**I'll never get born **_

_**Seth will get born **_

_Her thoughts turned to the little boy. Seth. A little boy that seemed just as oddly familiar as the little girl had been. Although, she couldn't remember ever seeing him before. However, she was almost certain she had seen the girl child before. But she just couldn't place where._

_Where am I, Piper asked herself. She knew the little girl calling herself Melinda had told her they were in the In-Between Realm. A place where they could stay until they were born. But something about that didn't feel right for herself. Why would she need to be born?_

_Where am I suppose to go back to, Piper asked herself. Quickly, her thoughts reverted to the voices she had suppressed and surmised that they held the key to that answer. But how was she suppose to figure it out? She didn't remember any of it. She couldn't recall what the voices use to say to her._

_"Mommy?" a young child called out._

_Piper lay sprawled out on the grass with her eyes shut, contemplating her current state of existence, when she heard the familiar voice. Almost immediately, her eyes bolted open but not because she was startled. No, oddly enough, the sound of that voice had a soothing effect. These visitations with the children were providing a comforting feeling during her time spent in the realm. However much time __**it **__was she had been here. Because she couldn't be sure._

_She felt small fingers glide through her long, brown hair._

_"Your hair is so long and pretty, mommy," little Melinda's voice echoed. "It's soft. I want my hair to be just like yours when I grow up!"_

_Piper smiled and sat up. Turning around, she came face to face with the little girl that was sitting down beside her. Piper took her fingers and glided them through Melinda's shoulder length, brown hair._

_"It's already beautiful, sweetie!" Piper complimented her._

_Melinda's smile widened but then she looked down and a frown quickly replaced the happiness that was once so contagious._

_Piper's own smile faded. "Honey, what's the matter?" _

_"You don't really believe that you're my mommy, do you?" the little girl answered. "But you have to. Because they're going to make you go away soon."_

_A puzzled expression came over Piper. "Nobody will make me go away," she denied. "Is that why you're sad?"_

_"You'll have to leave." The little girl nodded her head emphatically._

_"Why?" questioned Piper._

_"You're lost mommy. You don't belong here. So you're going to have to choose. And very, very soon!"_

_Piper stood to her feet, confused and feeling somewhat nervous about the almost adamant overtone carried within the child's declarations. "What do I have to choose?"_

_Melinda stood to her feet. "Which home you want to go back to!"_

_"Home?"_

_"Yes. Do you want to go back to the home where I'll get to be born? Or do you want to go back home where we all come from? Over there!"_

_Piper's gaze followed the direction the little girl pointed in. And it took her sight to the sudden emergence of a bright, blinding light that hadn't been there before. The amazing part was that the blinding light didn't actually blind it's recipient. Instead, she felt a warm welcoming feeling that beckoned her towards it. An even greater peace than she had encountered in this realm. After staring at it for several seconds, she felt her eyes water over at the love that light generated. She was tempted to move forward and embrace it completely. That was until the thought of the little girl below her struck a cord and broke the trance._

_"It's not suppose to be your time yet, mommy, so you can choose," the little girl explained. "Don't worry. If you go, I won't be mad. I can get a new mommy later."_

_Piper released a small, sympathetic smile at the child. Although, she couldn't remember, there was now an even stronger pull willing her towards the little girl and pushing her towards the other direction. And Piper suddenly felt that the loving light beckoning her to become one with it would be back. It would return for her when the time was actually right._

_Her decision was made._

_"I think I'd like to stick around and be with you a little while longer," Piper smiled. "So if that means going back to this other home, then that's what I choose."_

_Melinda's smile brightened and both turned as they watched the warm, loving light retreat and then fade out altogether. Then, the little girl turned to address Piper._

_"Good. Now, give me your hands mommy?" _

_"My hands?"_

_"Yes. Trust me."_

_Piper extended her hands and watched as the little girl extended her hands over hers. Melinda proceeded to close her eyes and suddenly Piper watched as a bright light ignited. Then, the healing energy sprung to life. Traveling through Piper's hands, it extended beyond the boundaries of space and time. And she felt the pull._

_She was floating at a steady pace. Gone was the little girl. Gone were the pretty sky and the glowing, golden grass. And gone were those feelings of peace that assailed her senses. Everything around her was black but she could sense her destination was close. Her memory was returning. And suddenly, that's when she felt it. _

_A shift in direction. Piper was no longer traveling forward. Instead, she felt the sudden pull and she was swirling backwards._

**ooooo**

_"A fire broke out tonight at a local nightclub injuring at least twenty and killing two. We've been told that the two deaths and most of the injuries have been related to the panic that broke out in trying to escape and not from the fire itself. But still no word yet on how the fire was started. This tragedy comes in the wake of local club owner, Piper Halliwell's, own tragic car accident that left her comatose two months ago. The doors of the nightclub were being reopened after an almost two-month hiatus. We promise to keep you updated as this story continues to ..."_

With one flick of the remote control, Phoebe turned off the television, ending the news reporter's spiel. "I don't want to hear anymore."

Phoebe threw herself on the couch, holding her head in her hands. The Book of Shadows was sprawled on the floor where the small table use to be and Billie was sitting on the floor opposite of Phoebe. Paige had gone to keep herself busy and her mind distracted on a potion mix since they were almost positive they had identified the right demons. They were still waiting on Prue. That was until they heard the front door open and slam shut.

"Prue?" Phoebe called out. Both she and Billie were on their feet as Prue rounded the corner and entered the living room.

"Yeah, it's me!" Prue announced. "And we've got more problems then we thought."

"What, the cop?" Phoebe questioned incredulously.

"The cop!" confirmed Prue. "Or should I say Inspector Richardson. Who made it a point to list off to me all the reasons why he thinks I, no _we_, are the ones responsible for the fire at P3!"

"What?" exclaimed Phoebe.

"Oh yes," Prue nodded her head dramatically. "Right after he threw some not so discreet nonsense about Homeland Security in my face. Then, he decided to really get personal which of course my response was to tell him exactly where he could go ... "

Prue halted her speech as soon as she noted the concerned looks that appeared on the faces of both Phoebe and Billie. Precisely right after she mentioned Homeland Security. So after narrowing her eyes and gazing back and forth between the two, she sighed, took a deep breath, and then closed her eyes.

"Okay, lay it on me. I'm relearning to take those odd looks you're both giving me as some weird form of admission, so what is it?" she questioned. "And does any of this have something to do with an Agent Murphy?"

Phoebe slowly broke her gaze away from Billie. "Uh ... yeah. Prue, Agent Murphy does work for Homeland Security." She took her own deep breath. "And he knows who we are."

Prue shook her head feeling confused, the revelation not completely settling in.

"Knows who we are?" she questioned. "Meaning what? We all went to school together, we grew up next door to each other, our families go way back ... "

"Meaning he knows about us. What we are, what we do. That we're witches," Phoebe had cut in, dramatically waving her hands about. "He knows about magic."

It wasn't the kind of revelation she had been expecting. A government agent carrying around the secret to their identities and exactly what it was they did on a daily basis. The only thing her mind could momentarily register was to question how the hell did that happen? In a matter of mere seconds, her body language completely shifted.

"Whoa!" she released, eyes widening in shock.

Figuring out where her mind was going, Phoebe quickly jumped to the defense. "Hey, and before I explain anymore let's make it clear that you don't get to bitch, please? You may have regained big sister status a couple months ago but you've lost those complaining privileges to any periods of time you were absentee!"

With a small smile, Prue shut her eyes and huffed. "Fine. Fair enough," she relented. Reopening her eyes, she addressed both Billie and Phoebe. "What happened?"

"Well, he showed up back around the same time I showed up here," volunteered Billie. "He was following me around. Back when I had discovered who you guys were. Then, I began looking for Christy and everything ... "

Prue nodded her head. She knew that this was still a sensitive topic for Billie. "Right. You were starting to tell me a little bit about all that earlier."

"But it turns out it goes back a little further than that. We had another Inspector on our case a little while back," added Phoebe. "Her name was Inspector Sheridan and she ended up getting herself killed by demons here at the manor because she didn't leave well enough alone. But it appears Homeland Security just picked right up where she left off. And Agent Murphy was assigned to our case."

"Okay, so fast-forward to the part on how they know about us?" Prue interjected.

Phoebe released a heavy sigh. "Well, to sum it up, we faked our deaths to try and lead a normal life away from magic. Paige was assigned a new charge that turned out to be Billie and it all went from there. Like Billie said, she found out who we were. We agreed to train her but eventually we decided that we couldn't live without being who we really were. So we admitted the truth to Agent Murphy and used him to break free from our magical disguises."

"You admitted to him you were witches?" Prue reiterated in disbelief.

"Well, yeah, because by then it really didn't matter. The Underworld was already onto us and Homeland Security was beyond suspicious at that point. It only made sense that it was to our advantage," Phoebe justified. "Besides, as far as we know, Agent Murphy is the only one who knows about the whole witch thing."

Prue sighed. "Well, can he at least be trusted to keep our secret?"

"I think so. We haven't had any problems since he covered for us. I mean, he had us run a few favors for him. Demon related favors but other than that it's been pretty quiet. Besides, Piper was the one that usually dealt with him more often then the rest of us," Phoebe finished.

"Good. Well let's hope it stays that way," Prue offered just as Paige was making her way back into the living room.

"Okay, guys, I'm pretty sure the potion mix is Henry-proof so if we hurry up and scry for a location we should be able to ... " Paige was heard explaining as she entered the living room but then spotted Prue with the others. "Oh, Prue. Good! You're home. Now we're definitely all set to go."

"You guys ID'ed the demons?" Prue asked.

"Uh, yeah. We're pretty sure they're scatter demons. Low-level demons but I'm thinking we might want to be prepared for the Triad too. Just in case," offered up Paige.

"But Paige, there are no potions to go up against the Triad. You know that. And I don't think we're ready for a confrontation like that. Not yet," Phoebe protested. "Even if we use what we know to take one of them out, he'll just come back."

"Okay, but one is still better than none, right?" Paige argued. "And I don't know about you, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get Henry back."

"No, because they would still have Gideon to take one of their places. Which means we'd have to aim for taking out at least two. And that's not even taking into account if there's anymore fill-ins waiting in the wings."

"So we try to take two of them out." Paige shrugged her shoulders, not understanding what all the fuss was about. "I don't see the big deal. We've done it before."

"The big deal is that the Triad isn't going to make it that easy this time!" Phoebe raised her voice.

Prue and Billie stood on the sidelines, listening to the debate back and forth. Picking up on the mounting tension growing inside the room, Prue quickly interjected.

"Okay, guys, listen. Let's stick to worrying about these scatter demons, whoever they are. We'll worry about the Triad if we have to. But I do have a feeling we won't be seeing them. At least, not for awhile. These other demons are obviously being used as a go between in getting to the incantation. So now someone tell me. What exactly are these scatter demons?"

Billie was the first one to offer an explanation. "Well, we thought we took most of them out last year. When I went back to find Christy again. Who I thought was Christy," she corrected. "Apparently the scatter demons were hired on to watch after my sister until I came looking for her. But after I rescued her and brought her back here, she was taken again. But she and I used our powers, Molly's powers, to take most of them out so the clan must be bigger than we thought."

"Right. So they're hired hands for the Triad?" Prue confirmed, once again.

"Yup!" came Paige's one-worded response.

"Well, I'm coming," Billie automatically volunteered. "I can use my projection power if anything else goes wrong," she suggested.

Prue sighed and shook her head. "Billie, no, you're not coming."

"What?" Billie screeched. "No way am I staying here!"

"Billie, it's too dangerous," Phoebe supplied. "You should stay here until we figure out what we're walking into."

"And there's always that small chance the Triad will show up," Paige pointed out. "And we're not even fully prepared for it. Which means you're definitely not. And we can't afford to be distracted with worrying about you. It's just better if you stay behind this time."

"Oh, c'mon. I can handle some lousy scatter demons. Besides, you said so yourself, you don't even think the Triad will be there," Billie debated, directing the last part of her protest at Prue.

This time Prue shut her eyes. "Billie," she began to protest back at her, shaking her head.

"Please," she pleaded. "What am I suppose to do just sit here and hope that you guys make it back? And then if you don't, how am I any safer?" she argued logically. "How am I even suppose to learn or get any better, anyway, if all I do is sit around and wait all the time?"

Prue just stared at Billie, contemplating how to rebut against her logic. Both Phoebe and Paige glanced at Prue, awaiting her final word on the matter. She briefly looked to her sisters as Phoebe arched her brows in response and Paige just shrugged her shoulders. Finally, she sighed and just decided to give in.

"Fine, but stay close by and if we tell you to get out of there you do it!" she demanded.

"Awesome!" Billie announced, clapping both hands together once and nodding her head. "I mean, I will. Promise."

Prue changed the subject back to finding the demons. "Alright. Since Paige has the potions ready, we should get working on finding a location."

Everyone agreed and the three sisters left the living room heading for the attic. They needed to scry for a location on Henry and the demons. Quickly, Billie retrieved the Book of Shadows from the living room floor and darted up the stairs behind them.

**ooooo**

_**Underworld (One Week Later) ...**_

In the Underworld, Prue, Phoebe and Paige desperately attempted to take out the last of the scatter demons with the remaining potions in hand.

It had taken almost a week to find the right location and when they had they discovered it had been much more difficult to take them out then they had originally anticipated. Billie had come along the first couple trips but each time they scried a location, they met more dead ends inside of the Underworld. That was until now.

Paige orbed out as a giant fireball flew towards her at a beyond normal speed. She reappeared behind the demon and threw the last, remaining potion vial she held in hand. She released it and when it impacted him, he exploded. However, like both sisters before her, she had been lured into the center as the remaining scatter demons encircled them. And there was no sign of Henry or the Triad anywhere.

"Now what to we do?" Paige questioned.

Prue and Phoebe stood side by side, throwing their own potion vials at the other scatter demons forming a circle around them. With no more vials of her own, Paige was forced to stand close by and watch. The sisters had been forced to use more than one vial to take out only one of them at a time which left them extremely vulnerable. Because it meant they were unprepared.

"Okay, where the hell are they all coming from?" Phoebe panicked, her back pressed against Prue's as she stood wedged in the middle of her and Paige. "And why aren't the potions working, they should be working!"

"Because they're not strong enough," Prue gritted through her teeth. She held one last potion in her hand, hiding it behind her back.

Suddenly, the leader of the clan stepped forward, his hands behind his own back.

"I take it we weren't quite what you were expecting," he mocked them. Then he laughed. "But I will say that was fun. And now that we've all gotten that out of our systems, I believe you do have something that belongs to us?"

"I believe you have something that belongs to me," Paige mocked back.

The demon sneered. "Of course. The mortal. Although, I must admit, I'd hate to see him go. He's actually provided us with some interesting entertainment in his time spent with us, hasn't he?" He laughed then turned to the other demons, who also made it a point to sneer and laugh. "Really. It's been awhile since I've amused myself with a mortal who dances to the beat of my target practices!" he taunted her.

Paige made a threatening move forward only to be pulled back by Phoebe.

The demon laughed in response to her reaction before turning serious again. "The incantation, please. Or good ole' Henry the 8th dances to the beat of a different drum the next time I see him," he threatened.

Prue waited until the demon was a little closer. Then, she made her move. "Ya know, what? I think you're right. We do have something that belongs to you," she mocked him.

Then, revealing the vial, she immediately released it from her hand and aimed it at his chest. However, Prue received a shock when within a split second the vial was deflected back in her direction. After impacting her, it sent her off her feet and crashing into the stone wall positioned directly behind them.

Paige and Phoebe both ran to assist her. As Paige knelt down, she used the opportunity to grab onto her sisters and orb them out and to safety. The orbs vanished, taking the sisters with them. Witnessing their escape, one of the surviving demons stepped forward in protest.

"No!"

The clan leader held his hand up to stop him. "Wait. We let them go for now. They didn't have what we needed to bring back to the Triad anyway."

"But they'll be better prepared for us next time."

"Maybe so. But it's imperative we don't take them out until we get what we need from them."

"They'll never give it up!"

The clan leader approached his follower. "We didn't expect them to give it up that easily. But we'll get it from them. One way or another. And I think it's time we paid our Henry another little visit." He smirked. "What do you say?"

The remaining scatter demons broke apart and followed in the direction of their clan leader.

**ooooo**

Time was of no merit to those beings that sat upon the Afterlife Council. But for Leo, it was a completely different story.

There he sat, anxiously, listening to another drawn-out, oral diatribe being made by the opposing Elders. He had no idea about how much time could have passed in the mortal realm since there was no real concept of measured time within the immortal realms. To him and all the others present, it didn't really feel like much time had passed at all. But he knew one thing for sure and one thing only. That he needed to get out of here and back to Piper. The sooner the better.

Both sides had been presenting oral arguments back and forth, hoping that the Afterlife Council would seek favor with their side. Currently, Emeritus was fully engaged with his counter-allegations that were mainly being directed at Leo.

"Therefore, I request this Council to enforce what is not only fair but what applies to universal code as well," Emeritus' voice drifted into Leo's ears.

"I absolutely object before this Council!" Coop interjected, standing up from his seated position. "We stand before you with allegations being made against these particular Elders for breaking universal codes. And now he violates universal code by making these allegations. Universal Code 1875 for these proceedings clearly states that if the accused is brought forth on charges related to breaking universal laws, he may not counter-claim with similar accusations until the matter against him has been decided!"

"YES. WE ARE WELL AWARE OF THE UNIVERSAL CODES, CUPID!" the loud voice exclaimed. "AFTERALL, WE HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THEIR CREATION!"

"THE ELDER WILL CONTAIN HIMSELF NOW!" the second voice declared. "OTHERWISE HE WILL BE HEARD NO FURTHER!"

Emeritus visibly tensed at the decision. "Yes, I understand. My sincerest apologies before this Council!"

"YOU MAY TAKE A SEAT!" the first voice instructed.

The Elder resumed his position beside Phalmis, Ramar, and Xenus. Dimitri sat at a distance, throwing Leo apologetic looks from across the way. Leo nodded his head to signal him that he understood. After all, Leo didn't blame the new Elder for the situation he was in. Actually, he was feeling guilty for the predicament that Dimitri now found himself in. Leo considered it his fault. Because if he hadn't involved him in any of it to begin with, chances were that Dimitri wouldn't be sitting here with them waiting to be used as bait in sticking it to him.

Andy, on the other-hand, sat in between Coop and Leo. At the current moment, he felt confused about why he was even here to begin with. Thus far, none of the debating had directly concerned him in any way except for the initial claims made by Coop that the Elders broke the codes. Then, Emeritus and the other Elders came back with counter-allegations involving Leo's alleged mishaps throughout the years as a Whitelighter and Elder. Which in turn, Coop had been forced to use his allotted time periods to defend.

Andy leaned in against Leo's ear. "Is it just me or do they not like any of us being here?"

"Nah, it's not that," Leo answered. "They're suppose to be impartial. Their only allegiance is to the greater good and the universal laws that uphold it."

"Really? Well the sounds of those voices could have fooled me. I feel like I'm staring in the _Wizard of Oz _right now and waiting for the old man behind the curtain to reveal himself."

Leo broke out with a smirk alongside Andy. However, both men quickly regained their composure at the sound of the voice breaking through.

"IN TRUTH, WE ARE DEEPLY DISTURBED BY THE ALLEGATIONS BEING MADE FROM BOTH SIDES," one voice announced.

"AND WE HAVE DECIDED THAT WE ARE GETTING NOWHERE WITH THESE ORAL DECLARATIONS! THEREFORE, WE HAVE OPTED TO ENACT UNIVERSAL CODE 222," the second voice volunteered.

Closing his eyes, Coop took a seat. "Great," he muttered with disdain for the decision.

"THIS MEANS WE'LL BE HANDLING ALL OF THE QUESTIONING FROM HERE ON IN! NO ONE IS TO SPEAK UNLESS DIRECTLY ASKED A QUESTION. VIOLATION OF THIS WILL BE GROUNDS FOR YOUR REMOVAL FROM THESE PROCEEDINGS!" a new voice added.

"ARE WE ALL IN UNDERSTANDING?" the first voice questioned, seeking confirmation from everyone present inside the realm.

Mumblings and grunts of affirmation were met in answer to the question.

"GOOD. EMERITUS. AS NEW HEAD OF THE ELDER COUNCIL, WE SHALL BEGIN WITH YOU."

Emeritus stood from his chair. "Yes."

"HOW IS IT THAT YOU DEFEND YOURSELF FOR INTERFERING WITH THE GRAND-DESIGN AND IT'S PLAN FOR THE ULTIMATE POWER?"

Emeritus brought his hand up to cover his mouth and cough. "Because, Council, not only were we following in Gideon's misguided steps at the time, but we believe it was never the grand-designs plan to have this power come to fruition to begin with."

"EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MEAN BEHIND THAT," instructed the voice.

"What I mean is that the grand-design has attempted to claim the life of Piper Halliwell on more than one occasion," he argued.

This accusation immediately grabbed Leo's attention, putting him on edge. He was now sitting completely upright and glaring at the Elder with utter contempt for daring to go there.

"And twice Leo has been involved in interfering with it," Emeritus continued. "The first time almost seven years ago when she was infected by an insect bite. The second time when the sisters willfully aligned themselves with the Source of all Evil so Tempus would reset time."

"Now wait a minute," Leo hollered, getting up from his chair. He couldn't contain himself any longer as the idea that his wife was never meant to live filtrated through the entire Afterlife Council.

"Leo! Sit down," Coop hissed, leaning over. However, his stern warning went completely unacknowledged.

"It was you and the rest of your Council who approved that idea" Leo continued to shout. "Not me. I only passed it along to the sisters as one of the options. "So don't you dare turn this around on us. And don't you ever use my wife as a scapegoat!"

"The fact remains that Piper was killed in the unchanged time-line. Not to mention the first time she died until you wrongfully intervened and brought her back. Or should we bring up your adventures while serving as an avatar?"

"Really? Well if you were so intent on seeing her _die_," Leo spat back "then why did you heal her and save her life that day in the manor? I'm sure you recall it. That very same day when Shax attacked and you healed Prue too, taking her with you and interfering with the grand-design? You're a liar, Emeritus. You have no right serving on the Elder's Council anymore than Gideon did!"

"That was only done to save the Power of Three!" Emeritus seethed, desperately trying to defend his motivations before the Council. "Time was reset, Phoebe was undetectable, and they were the only two left!"

"SILENCE!" the loud, thunderous voice roared. "ENOUGH!" It succeeded in breaking up the shouting match.

Andy remained silent and listened with heightened interest as he absorbed the details that had apparently led to his own resurrection. So, the Elders had been the ones responsible for taking Prue so they would stop some Ultimate Power from existing? That was what he had pieced together from the small amounts of dialogue being thrown back and forth between Emeritus, Leo, and the Afterlife Council. And that some Elder by the name of Gideon had also played a major role. Although, at this particular moment, he did feel bad for Leo. Being separated from Piper couldn't have come at a worse time and not knowing whether she would live or die had to be rough.

"WE WILL HAVE ORDER!" the second voice followed. "WE WERE VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE RULES BEFORE WE ENGAGED IN THIS SESSION AND WE WILL NOT STAND FOR DISOBEDIENCE."

"THEREFORE, WE SHALL REMOVE ..."

"I beg your pardon, but I beg this Council to allow me to intervene just this once," Coop stood up and interrupted the voice in a pleading manner, hoping to save Leo from the impending consequences.

"OUR PATIENCE WEARS THIN, CUPID. PLEASE MAKE YOUR POINT QUICKLY!" the voices instructed in unison.

"I thank the Council!" Coop sighed in relief. "Please. I beg the Council to show some leniency to Leo. I'm sure you can understand that his wife is an extremely sensitive subject right now, considering her delicate condition. If the Council will just reconsider and allow him to stay, Leo will promise not to disregard the rules again!"

Coop issued Leo a warning glare and there was a brief moment of silence that followed. Emeritus and the other Elders waited, smug expressions plastered across their faces. Then, the voices spoke out in unison, seeking clarification from Leo himself.

"IF THE COUNCIL AGREES TO ALLOW THIS, DOES THE ELDER IN QUESTION CONSENT TO THIS DEMAND?"

Leo stared around at everyone once. "Yes!" he finally gritted through his teeth.

"VERY WELL. ALL WILL REMAIN SEATED."

"But, Council, I ..." Emeritus was prepared to object before being cut off.

"SILENCE, EMERITUS. WE WERE FULLY PREPARED TO THROW YOU OUT AS WELL! NOW TAKE A SEAT!"

This time it was Dimitri's turn and the turn of Leo's side to share a smug smirk as the Elder slowly returned to his sitting position, his wounded pride still intact.

"HOWEVER, IT HAS COME TO OUR ATTENTION THAT PIPER HALLIWELL'S RESURRECTIONS ARE QUESTIONABLE. THEREFORE, WE WILL CALL FORTH AN IMPRINTATION!"

Concern for Piper graced Leo's features. Immmediately, he turned his attention to both Coop and Andy. "A what?"

Suddenly, a giant flash blinded everyone until a sudden, unexpected figure appeared before all of them appearing just as stunned and just as confused.

**ooooo**

The orbs reappeared in the center of the attic, depositing all three sisters onto the floor.

Billie, standing at the podium flipping through the Book, immediately rushed over to help as soon as she noticed the orbs and the reappearance of the three sisters. By the looks of the grand entrance they had just made, she quickly concluded that something had gone horribly wrong.

"Oh my god, what happened?" she exclaimed.

Phoebe, hitting her head against the floor as they dropped, was the first to speak. "Paige, you could really use some work on your landing!" she cried, holding the back of her head while sitting up.

"Uh, excuse me, but we were about to become scatter demon trophies if I didn't get us out of there fast," she defended. "I didn't exactly have time to think about it. I just aimed!"

Prue was the first to her feet but quickly felt a jolting pain shoot up through her abdomen. Instinctively, she lurched over grabbing ahold of her stomach area. Alerted to her sudden, visible discomfort, all concerned eyes immediately turned in her direction.

"Prue, what's the matter?" Phoebe's quickly reached out for her.

"Nothing," she lied. Then, catching her sister's glare, she changed her stance. "I'm not sure."

"Is it the baby?" Paige asked, her voice full of concern. "You did take a nasty hit against that rock. Are you sure you're okay?"

Billie stood with her arms crossed, watching intently, with concern of her own gracing her features. Then she stepped forward, trying to offer her assistance. "Maybe you should sit down."

"No, thanks, just give me a minute," she declined. "I'll be fine."

Phoebe shook her head. "Prue, you really need to learn to take it easy," she scolded lightly. "Especially when you've got someone else to think about. There was no one down there that you needed to prove anything to!" she enforced strongly.

Prue took offense. "I wasn't trying to prove anything!" she argued. "I was trying to take out the leader of a clan of demons about to annihilate us!"

"No, what you did was make a careless move against demons that our potions already proved to be ineffective against! Why would you bait him like that?" countered Phoebe.

"I didn't bait him!" Prue raised her voice in protest. Then, suddenly, dizziness overtook her. She closed her eyes and smacked her hand against her forehead. "Uh, whoa!"

Both Paige and Billie each reached out to steady her.

"Uh, yeah. You're definitely sitting down," instructed Paige as they both guided her to the couch. "And guys, can we cut out the arguing? It's really getting us nowhere."

"I'll go get you some water," offered Billie. She made a hasty exit from the attic.

Paige extended her hands, seeking out the extent of any injuries that might have been caused. A short time later, Billie reentered the attic with a glass of water in hand.

"Here," she extended her hand out with the glass.

Prue accepted it. "I'm fine, everybody," she stressed in an agitated fashion. She hated the fact that they were all making such a huge fuss over her.

Paige pulled her hands back after giving a small healing. "Well, you are now. I think there was some minor internal bruising," she explained, much like a doctor would to his patient. "But you and the baby should be okay."

Phoebe closed her eyes and released a sigh filled with tension. When Billie felt comfortable that everything would be okay with her mother, she tread-ed into the direction of their other current problem at hand. The scatter demons.

"So what exactly happened down there?" she questioned. "And I take it there was no Henry?"

Paige sighed heavily. "No! But I'm not giving up."

Prue shook her head in contemplative thought. "None of us are giving up but what I'm not understanding is why those potions aren't working right. We did everything straight from the Book. That potion is specifically designed to take scatter demons out. So what went wrong?"

Paige turned to Billie. "Billie, you're sure you used all the correct ingredients, right?"

"Yeah. All the ingredients the Book gave me!" Billie had been the one to concentrate on making more of the potions during the course of the week while the sisters scried and checked out various locations.

"It's not the potions," Phoebe spoke up. "It's gotta' be Gideon and those damn stones that Billie told us about. He's using them to make the demons stronger. At least the ones being sent after us."

Billie stood with her arms crossed and offered her own input. "And I already checked all that out. There's nothing in the Book that mentions magical stones or anything about a box. Except for information on the Hollow." Then a sudden idea occurred to her. "Hey, you think Magic School might have some information about it somewhere?"

"Maybe," answered Phoebe. "It might be worth a shot."

"Well, if not, then we got a problem. How are we suppose to use potions if demons are going to be resistant to them?" Paige inquired.

"We can still use them, we'll just have to take the time to strengthen them. The potion was taking scatter demons out but we just needed more of the potion to do it!" Prue supplied.

Paige stood up from the couch where she had been sitting beside Prue. Finally, her worries were beginning to catch up with her.

"Henry might not have that kind of time," she vented. "We just can't sit around trying to figure out potions when god knows what can be happening to Henry down there!"

"Paige ... " Prue tried to interject.

"No. Look, I really think we need to reconsider our plan of action here!" she boldly declared. "I mean, c'mon. They're not stupid. The demons know we're not going to just hand over the incantation without a good reason to. And I say Henry is a good enough reason."

"Hold up! Paige, what exactly are you suggesting?" Phoebe responded heatedly. She had a feeling what direction this line of talk was heading in and she didn't like it.

"I'm saying we need to bring that incantation with us the next time we go so they know we have something to trade off."

"Whoa! No way!" Phoebe strongly objected. "Paige, have you completely lost your mind? There's no way we're risking the Triad getting their hands on the Ultimate Power. Do you have any idea what that would mean?"

"What it means is we don't really have to give it to them. But Henry's life is at stake here!

"And so will everyone elses' if the Underworld gets their hands on that incantation. You saw what they did to the club? And just look at the effect some stupid stones are having on our ability to take them on? Can you imagine how much worse it would be if they had the Ultimate Power? It would be over for us. For everyone in the mortal world! I'm sorry, Paige, but sometimes one innocent has to be sacrificed to safe the lives of many more!" Phoebe argued back.

They were now engaged in a full blown argument that made even Billie cringe. It had been a rare occasion when she would witness any of the sisters involved in heated arguments with each other. One thing was clear to her though. All the buried frustration surrounding Piper's sudden disappearance, Henry's abduction, and the constant demonic assaults was catching up and shining through. But she opted to remain quiet.

Prue hid her face under her hands with her own nagging feelings of doubt and frustration rising to the surface. "GUYS! STOP! PLEASE?" she yelled out.

Paige huffed and ignored Prue's plea. "Easy for you to say," she shot back at Phoebe. "I wonder if you'd be so quick to jump to that conclusion if we were talking about Coop right now. And do I need to remind you that we're screwed, anyway, without PIPER!" she shouted back. "There is no power without her. So maybe we should just give it up already!"

Everyone was stunned into complete silence. In shock, they all stared at Paige, absorbing her last declaration. It gave life to the one fear that everyone had been harboring in the room since the accident. The fear that Piper wouldn't be returning home. That she would leave them one witch short to use the power they needed. That they would be left to endure the wrath of a demonic reign, a formidable Armageddon, one that Piper would be spared. But even more so, it went deeper and much more personal. The fear of losing a sister. Piper, the voice of reason. The one sister skilled with surrogating as the oldest sister but could still manage to perform her role as middle sister and as a crafty mediator.

After calming down, Paige spoke up. "C'mon. Don't everybody look at me like that. You know we've all been thinking it! The Power of Three just isn't going to cut it anymore. With or without Piper. I just said it first."

Prue, Phoebe, and Billie remained silent each just glancing to the other.

"And this has been a difficult adjustment for me. These past five years it's been the three of us, Phoebe. You, me and Piper," Paige continued and addressed her sister. "We fought demons together and we got pretty close. That's all I've known." She shut her eyes and shook her head. "And I don't want this to sound all wrong because this is nothing against you, Prue," she now addressed her oldest sister. "For a long time, I felt really insignificant to you. Without even knowing you. I wanted to live up to what you had been. So that Piper and Phoebe would accept me."

Phoebe sighed. "Paige, it was never our intention to make you feel that way."

"No, listen." Paige closed her eyes again. "I really need to get this off my chest. I don't blame you guys for how I was feeling. Any of you. Not anymore. And I know two months isn't that long but I am really glad I've started to get to know you, Prue. Because now I have more reasons to admire you instead of resenting you. But it's just that Phoebe has a past fighting demons with you. I don't! For her, it's just a matter of readjusting. For me, I need time to adjust to something I'm not use to at all. We've jumped into doing it these past couple months because we had to. And I think if you're honest, you can admit to feeling the same way too," she finished.

Prue thought about her speech and had to admire the brute honesty. Because everything Paige had just taken the time to express in fact was true. After Piper's accident, the three remaining sisters were thrust together and forced to take on the role as the new combination to the Power of Three. There hadn't been time to stop, learn, and grow comfortable with each other's way of getting things done. So Prue could relate to what Paige was feeling. She, too, was use to the way things had been when she herself fought demons with Piper and Phoebe. But that was no longer the case. Prue nodded her head.

"You're right," she admitted. "It's different. And I really don't know where we go from here. I don't know what it means for us when Piper gets back and I certainly don't want to dwell on what it means for us if she doesn't come back. But what I do know is that right now it's just the three of us. Which means we have to continue to make this work. And we will make it work. It's just going to take time. And I'm going to take a guess that the adjustment was pretty much the same when you were first thrown together with Piper and Phoebe for the first time. Right?"

Paige thought hard about Prue's admission. "True," she admitted.

However, they were suddenly interrupted by the distant ringing sound that filtrated from the downstairs all the way up to the third floor attic.

"Was that the doorbell?" Paige uncrossed her arms. "Who could that be?"

"Yup, I think so." After answering, Paige proceeded to exit with Prue, Paige, and Billie following closely behind.

As all four women made it to the first floor, Phoebe approached and answered the door. She was greeted by the sight of a man she hadn't been expecting to see.

"Agent Murphy? What are you doing here?" came the inquiry.

**ooooo **

It was somewhere unknown to her where she found herself standing. Standing on something that appeared to be a small, circular platform. The first thing she caught sight of were her bare-feet and then her sight traveled up past the long, hospital gown she appeared to be wearing as her long brown her flowed around and down her shoulders.

"Piper!"

Upon hearing her name called, she looked into the vast space. She did not recognize this place; however, she did recognize who sought her attention.

"Leo?" she called out, confusion grabbing ahold of her.

Leo had rushed forward in a flash, pulling her into a tight embrace. Piper returned his embrace as both her arms encircled around his frame. However, this intense encounter did little to ease the confusion she was still feeling at the moment. In fact, the moment multiplied it.

"Thank god you're here," she heard him mumble into her shoulder.

Pulling away gently, she looked to him for an answer. "Uh, where exactly is here?"

"Before the Afterlife Council. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that you're okay," he answered her.

Piper took the time to gaze around the realm and noticed a group of Elders sitting at a table to one side while Coop and Andy were sitting on the opposite side. She shifted her focus onto Andy and realized why exactly they were here.

"Oh," came her reply. "But what I'm I doing here? Uh, shouldn't Prue be here instead? Andy's her husband."

"I don't know. But at least you're alive."

Piper pulled away. "Leo what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, confusion clearly evident.

"What do _you_mean what do I mean?" she mimicked. "I mean why do you keep talking around me like something went wrong. Of course I'm alive. I'm okay, I'm fine. See? Why wouldn't I be?" she asked with a hint of annoyance thrown in.

Leo released a worried sigh. "You mean you don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"The accident!" he announced.

"Accident? Leo, what accident? All I did was go to pick the kids up from Dad's and ... " then her voice trailed off. Suddenly, the memory hit her head on. "Oh, no! The accident. I was hit. And everything went black!"

"You were comatose. The doctors didn't think you'd make it. But wait a minute. If you don't remember ever waking up and leaving the hospital then that must mean ... " Leo was cut off by the loud voice overhead.

"THE ELDER WILL BACK AWAY FROM THE PLATFORM AND TAKE A SEAT!"

The loud sound startled Piper who immediately jumped. "Mean what, Leo?" she asked in a panic. "Spill. Now!"

Leo backed away almost looking distraught. He turned around and took a seat back at the table, proceeding to place his face in his hands. If anything, his actions only served to cause more alarm. Piper knew his reaction wasn't good.

"THE SOUL OF PIPER HALLIWELL IS PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR! WE SHALL PROCEED WITH THE IMPRINTATION!" the voice declared.

"Imprintation?" Piper mumbled. But then she backed up a few words, noting the use of the word soul. "Uh-oh! Am I dead?" she announced boldly.

"SILENCE PLEASE!" came the automatic response.

"Answer me, PLEASE!" mimicked Piper. "Cuz' I'm guessing if I am dead, they're ain't a whole lot you can do to me right about now," she cracked.

"I WOULDN'T BE SO SMUG ABOUT THAT IF I WERE YOU!" the voice scolded. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE WE CAN DO. BUT IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, YOU ARE NOT DEAD YET. THAT DECISION WILL REMAIN WITH US. AFTER THE IMPRINTATION."

"What imprintation?" she asked.

"A READING OF YOUR SOUL. YOU, YOUR SOUL, IS HERE. BUT NOT YOUR BODY. YOUR SOUL ENERGY CARRIES A GUIDE TO YOUR DESTINY. A PATTERN, UNIQUE TO YOU. SOMETIMES DEATHS ARE SUDDEN AND BEFORE SOMEONES TIME. OTHER TIMES IT IS DESTINED TO BE. WE ARE HERE TO DETERMINE YOUR FATE."

"My fate?" Piper had no idea what the Council was referring to but she had a good hunch that the men sitting opposite her husband were in some way responsible.

"THIS WILL NOT TAKE LONG!"

Piper sighed a weary sigh, closing her eyes. She could sense the presence of something merging with her soul. She wouldn't necessarily say it felt like an invasion but there were some subtle feelings of vulnerability at the presence of energy that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

And just as quickly it was done.

"THE WOMAN REFERRED TO AS PIPER MAY STEP DOWN FROM THE PLATFORM," the voice instructed.

She did. And everyone sitting at the tables watched as anxious energy flowed throughout their own beings. As if this one revelation would seal their fate forever. Quickly, she proceeded in the direction of her husband who stood back up to hug her once again. Then, they broke apart. While standing side by side, they awaited what the Afterlife Council discovered while holding hands.

"THE READING HAS DEMONSTRATED TO US THAT PIPER HALLIWELL'S FATE WAS SUPER-CEDED BY THE HIGHEST OF ALL POWERS. INTERVENTION WAS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE IT WAS ALLOWED BY THIS HIGHER POWER. THEREFORE, THIS COUNCIL CONCLUDES THAT IT WAS NOT IN PIPER HALLIWELL'S DESTINY TO DIE AT THOSE PRECISE MOMENTS IN TIME!" the voices concluded in unison.

Leo reached out and grabbed Piper. Relief spreading over him like a wildfire. "Oh thank god. I couldn't stand it if I had to lose you! Not after everything."

"Impossible!" Emeritus' voice broke up the happy reunion.

Piper, Leo, Andy and Coop were all alerted to the Elder's sudden outburst. Leo shook his head in disbelief at the audacity displayed by the head Elder. All he could think was that Gideon's temperament had somehow rubbed off on him. Andy brought his hand up to cover his mouth, hiding his own smirk. The open defiance wasn't so unbelievable since Andy had dealt with those types on the job all the time during his mortal life. Both times. But because of his position in the afterlife, he thought the man just had nerve and he was interested in seeing how the Council would handle his outburst. And Coop just sat beside Andy anxiously awaiting the Council's next move. Because while he acknowledged that they were out of the woods were Piper was concerned, he knew the same thing couldn't be said for Leo.

"YOU DARE TO CHALLENGE THE AUTHORITY OF THE MOST HIGH POWER?" the voices declared.

"No, Council. But Leo broke the rules ... " Emeritus barely got his sentence out before they interrupted him.

"WE WILL HEAR NO MORE. AS FAR AS THIS COUNCIL IS CONCERNED, ALL ARE FREE TO GO! EXCEPT ALL THE ELDERS PRESENT. WE FIND YOU ALL IN CONTEMPT OF BREAKING UNIVERSAL CODES."

Piper and Leo froze and Piper immediately turned to Leo. "Leo, do they mean you too? Please tell me you're coming home," she pleaded.

"I ..." Leo stammered, not sure what to make of the Council's decision.

However, before he had the opportunity to respond in more detail, both of them were alerted to the next decree being made by the Afterlife Council.

**ooooo **

Agent Murphy proceeded to barge into the manor.

"Not exactly the greeting I was expecting, but it'll do!" he announced, walking past Phoebe and into the foyer. "We need to talk!" He turned back around to face her.

Phoebe turned around and sent Prue, Paige, and Billie a look over the Agent's shoulder. "It's nice to see you too. Please, won't you come in?" she mocked him.

"Yeah. Ha ha. Look, I don't have time for the pleasantries. I know what happened at P3 and what caused the fire. And I'm receiving alot of pressure on this one so what I need to know is what it is you're going to do about it?" he pressed.

Phoebe allowed a bewildered expression to play across her face. "I don't follow," she denied.

Impatiently, the Agent shook his head. "Cut the crap. I don't have the time to be playing games with you on this one. You know what I'm talking about, it was your club. I'm getting eye-witness accounts thrown on my desk ID'ing what looked like a man dressed in black throwing balls of flaming fire into the crowd. Not to mention, non-stop calls from some Inspector Richardson digging for dirt on our _arrangement_ last year and information on some dead sister. Now, look, I don't know what's going on around here ... " and he was cut off by Prue's interjection.

"Wait. Did you just say Inspector Richardson?" she inquired.

Agent Murphy spun around at the sound of the intrusive voice, hands placed against his hips. Taking in the sight of the woman before him, he went in for his own unique introduction.

"Ah. And you must be the sister that's supposed to be dead, right? Prudence, but people call you Prue?" he inquired back to her, quite smugly. "I'm Agent Murphy. We'll probably be seeing alot of each other in the future."

Everyone stood still, shell-shocked, by his blatant conclusion.

"No, I'm not ... " Prue began to deny but was cut off by the Agent.

He put up his hand. "Don't bother. I don't get how it happened, how or why you're back, whether you used magic to fake your death or what ... but honestly it doesn't matter to me. What I care about is how and when you're going to stop civilians from being attacked by these inhuman creatures in very public places. I'm sure you can understand the pressure I'm under here!"

"Wait. How do you know about Prue?" Phoebe interjected.

"Well, what I do know is from sometime back. She supposedly died here at the manor back in 2001. Along with some doctor named Griffiths. But none of that information can be found in any files anymore. It's like it just disappeared, like it never happened!" he informed them, looking back and forth between all the women as he spoke.

"So you can remember?" Paige muttered, locking eyes with Phoebe.

Nodding his head in confusion, he answered. "Of course I can remember. Although others seem to be having a problem in that department and I have no idea why. My only guess is that it's somehow connected to you and whatever it is you do."

Prue closed her eyes and shook her head to regain her composure. "So, then, what did this Inspector Richardson want? Does he know too?"

"Don't think so. He was digging for information on your sudden reappearance here. After your move from New York. Which supposedly transpired in the wake of your husband's death after he was killed in the line of duty!"

"Right," Prue mumbled. She averted her gaze to the floor.

Agent Murphy watched her with interest. Then, he glanced between her and Billie. "Although, perhaps, had I dug a little deeper myself maybe I would have found out more too. When your daughter first showed up here last year, I figured that she knew something. I just never knew how much."

Billie shot her head up. With a shocked expression, she glanced between Prue and the others who were also shocked by the Agent's bold revelation. "Excuse me?" she asked him. "Are you saying that you knew who I was all along?"

Agent Murphy smirked. "Please. Don't be so surprised. The Agency looked into all your backgrounds. And when I took over the case, I just dug some more, that's all. I took the liberty of looking into Billie's background after she showed up here. And then I followed her. It wasn't too hard to connect. Not once I got ahold of the birth certificate."

Billie huffed in disbelief. "But adoption records are suppose to be sealed!" she argued.

The Agent smiled at her. But it wasn't just any smile. It signaled to Billie and the others that he had his own ways of finding and getting his hands on what he needed to. "You're right. They are."

Prue interjected. "Okay. So you've known Billie's my daughter. I don't see the big deal! What does this Inspector Richardson think he's going to find?"

The Agent took a moment to digest the situation and what it could mean. It was clear to him that everyone in this house was clearly on edge. And why shouldn't they be? After all, he heard about what happened to Piper, the other sister. Then add into the mix what was happening on the outside with demons attacking in public places.

"I'm not sure," he relented. "But if you want, I can try and look into it. Maybe see what I can find out about him."

"That would be helpful," Phoebe immediately accepted. "Thanks."

Agent Murphy approached the door to leave. "Sure. But, in the meantime, please do something about preventing what happened the last time." Before exiting, he turned slowly and added his condolences. "And I'm sorry to hear about your other sister. I hope everything works out," he offered.

"Thanks. We appreciate it," Phoebe responded as she closed the door after his exit.

Phoebe released a heavy breath and a low whistle. She turned back around to meet the same concerned faces of the others all staring back at her.

**ooooo**

Coop and Andy stood up from the table very slowly. Andy was completely baffled by what the Council's decision meant for him and he turned to address Coop.

"I'm not sure I understand," he stuttered.

Coop knew why Andy was confused so he looked at him and then quickly turned forward to readdress the Afterlife Council. "Council? We seek clarification. Are you confirming that this decision effects Andrew as well? His mortal life will be granted?"

"YES! WE FIND THAT THE ELDERS WERE GUILTY OF TAMPERING WITH THE GRAND-DESIGN WHEN THEY INTERFERED WITH THE DESTINY OF THE CHARMED ONES. THEY ARE GUILTY OF REARRANGING THE TIME-LINE WHEN THEY REMOVED THE OLDEST ONE FROM THE POWER LINK."

"THEREFORE, WE WILL ALLOW THE TECHNICALITY TO STAND. BECAUSE OF THEIR MORTAL BINDING OF MARRIAGE, ANDREW WILL BE GRANTED HIS MORTAL LIFE BACK!" the second voice continued.

"THE CLEANERS WILL REARRANGE THE ALREADY CHANGED TIME-LINE TO INCLUDE ANDREW'S RETURN AS WELL. HOWEVER, BE AWARE. SOME MINOR CONSEQUENCES MAY HAVE RESULTED FROM THE CLEANERS NEED TO INTERFERE MORE THAN ONCE."

"We understand," Coop responded. "We thank the Council." Then, with a smile, he turned to address Andy. Using his hand, he patted against the other man's back. "Congratulations, man. You're going home."

Andy arched his brows and released a heavy breath he didn't even realize he was holding. It was all the built up tension that had been mounting along with the knots forming in his stomach. He never actually believed this would really happen but now it was. He was going home. He would be with Prue again and he would get to see Molly grow up.

"Wow," he announced. "I can't believe this is actually happening."

"Well believe it," Coop answered.

Next Andy was approached by Leo and Piper. Leo placed his hand on Andy's shoulder to grab his attention. Andy turned around. Then, Leo extended his hand.

"Congratulations, Andy. Good luck. And make good use of the time you get."

Andy smiled and shook the other man's hand. "Thanks. I intend to. But don't give up. You have a reason to fight standing right beside you." He glanced at Piper who stepped forward to hug him.

"Welcome home, Andy," she told him. "We've missed you."

Affectionately, Andy placed a chaste kiss against her forehead. He had a long history with the Halliwell family and Piper had always been like a sister. "I've missed you too, kiddo. And I guess that I'll be seeing you back on the other _other side_," he joked. "Again!"

Piper smiled and then broke away. Facing her husband, she addressed the next important matter at hand. Her husband's safe return home. "Leo, if you're not coming home yet then I'm staying here with you until you do!"

"No, Piper you can't," he protested.

"Yes, I can!" she countered.

"No, you can't because the boys need you back home. And what about your sisters? Without you, they're one sister short to the Ultimate Power. And then they won't be able to stop the Triad," he argued logically.

"The boys need you too, Leo!" she argued back. She used her hands to cover her face and then groaned loudly. "Damn, you know, I can't believe this is happening again. Not after what we went through last year. This isn't what's suppose to happen!"

"It won't happen," he tried to reassure, using his own hands to pull her away from her face. "I promise. I'll come back."

Piper wanted to argue further but she knew that everything her husband was saying was the truth. The boys needed at least one of them there and her sisters would be in big trouble if and when the Triad targeted them. She did need to return. It was a necessity. So it seemed as if she would have to put her trust into that very important element that had gotten her through all the heartache of the previous year. Her faith.

"You better!" she declared, pulling him into one last tight embrace. "Otherwise, I'm coming after you," she tried joking. "I mean it!" Her eyes began to water at the prospect of being separated from him again for god knows how long.

"I know you do." Then, they broke apart. Leo's own eyes watering over.

Piper backed away to join both Andy and Coop. How they would be returned, she really had no idea. But she felt it was about to happen soon. She wiped at her eyes and mouthed one last _I love you _to her husband. Andy brought his arm up around Piper, pulling her in close as a comforting gesture. She leaned in as she and the two men were suddenly whisked away in one quick flash.

**ooooo**

The four women gathered together in the foyer, each questioning what their encounter with Agent Murphy actually meant.

"Okay, so he remembers the other time-line?" Phoebe offered. "That doesn't necessarily mean anything bad. Does it?" she asked, her doubt breaking through.

"Well Darryl remembers everything?" Paige reminded them. "Maybe people that already know the truth about us aren't effected by the cleaners?"

"It's possible," Prue relented. "But I still think we need to be careful. Especially with this Inspector Richardson nosing around."

But within the next couple seconds, everything would change for good. Phoebe was the first one to catch a glimpse of the pink glow that reflected inside the living room. With her brows arched from curiosity, and without saying anything, she walked around her sister and entered the living room. And the sight before her caused her to break out in cheer as she squealed and ran over to the man a small distance in front of her. She was so engrossed with her own excitement, she barely registered the man standing beside them.

"Coop!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe you're back. I missed you so much!"

Coop accepted her charge towards him and held until her tightly with a smile of relief. Then, they broke apart as Phoebe noticed Andy for the first time. She smiled, acknowledging what it had to mean and slowly turned around as Prue, Paige, and Billie came in.

Prue and Andy's stare slowly met from across the way. Andy released a heavy sigh and then allowed a small smile to break free. It took a moment for Prue to realize what was happening. And she couldn't believe it. Andy was actually being allowed to return home. To return to her.

"Well, I guess you're stuck with me," Andy joked. His smile still in place. "I did promise that you'd never lose me and I'd always be there for you, didn't I?" This time his voice did crack with emotion.

Prue's eyes watered and she covered her mouth, slowly closing the distance between them. The sentiment behind those words was something only understood and shared between them. And before now, not remembered. It was a promise made sometime ago when Andy met his fatal end here at the manor. In an afterlife replica of a special place shared only between the two. On the Golden Gate park bench. The day he sacrificed his life for hers and her sisters.

As they met, they embraced, and as Andy shut his eyes the small amount of built-up tearing was released. It traveled down his face. And unseen by him because her face was buried against his shoulder, Prue's own tears traveled down as she held onto him tightly.

"I know you did," she answered. "And I love you," she mumbled against him.

"I love you too," he answered back.

Everyone watched the emotional reunion with interest or tears of their own.

**ooooo **

She awoke with a sudden gasp, her eyes bulging at the same time.

Where the hell was she? Piper attempted a deep intake of air but only began choking as she soon discovered there was some type of heavy tubing jammed down her throat. Her head moving back and forth, her eyes took in the sight of monitors beside her that burst to life with the sounds of her heartbeat and brainwave patterns. Her hearing senses could make out the beeping sounds.

The tiled ceiling above her was a pale white in color and her brain quickly pieced together that she was lying inside of a hospital room somewhere. And just as quickly, she was alerted to the sight and sound of two nurses hustling into the room.

One nurse immediately went for the monitors, reading the patterns, while the second nurse stood close by. Then, the first nurse turned back to her with instructions.

"Hurry. Go get the doctor. She's awake!"

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Okay, as promised, finished this chapter during the holiday. And I hope it was worth the read. So, thanks for reading and don't forget to review. I'll be back soon with the next chapter. **:o)**


	29. Unwelcome Interference

**Author's Note: **Okay. I feel the need to announce this.

Sadly, it has recently been brought to my attention, by one of my readers, that the ideas, characters, and plot from my story were in the beginning stages of being duplicated and passed off in another story here at fan-fiction. And I won't mention any names because the author has agreed to remove the story from this site voluntarily. However, since this is my first time writing and I'm also learning the ropes as I move along, please allow me to take some time and make my **disclaimer **clearer:

**Disclaimer: **While I don't own **Charmed** or any of the concepts, characters, and themes associated with the show, certain ideas coming off these **borrowed** concepts, characters, and themes are mine.

For instance, I am borrowing the concept of the "Ultimate Power" from the show. It doesn't belong to me but the idea that Prue/Phoebe/Piper/Paige are the Ultimate Power does come from me. The concept of a stolen "Ultimate Power" prophecy belongs to me. And some other examples: I don't own the characters Prue or Billie. But the idea that Billie is Prue's daughter does come from me. The alternate identities of Michael/Marie being Andy/Prue belong to me. The idea of Prue/Andy having had a kidnapped daughter in the Underworld does belong to me. Molly belongs to me. Seth will belong to me. I don't own "Christy" but the idea that she is really **Lana**, a "Christy" **impostor **working with the Triad and is part-Triad herself, does come from me. The Elder concept does not belong to me but Emeritus, Dimitri, Phalmis, Ramar, and Xenus are mine. The idea that Gideon is now a Triad belongs to me. But Gideon and the Triad are not mine. The Vicarian Stones belong to me. The idea for Pandora's Box belongs to me. The idea of an Afterlife Council existing belongs to me. And the In-Between Realm. The idea that Prue/Paige are really full sisters because Sam is Prue's real father comes from me. And so on and so on.

Now that I've made that crystal clear **PLEASE **do not take any of my ideas (past/future) and pass them off in a new story as your own. Here or at any other site. Especially without my express permission; because it is a form of plagiarism. If I stumble upon it myself or if any of my readers happen to bring something like this to my attention again, I will definitely report it the next time around. So be forewarned.

The only two places that I have this work of fiction posted are here and at thesistersthree (under PowerofThree4). This disturbs me because I have been working hard on this since **May of 2007 **and have posted my updates, almost simultaneously, at both websites. Please, if anyone comes across my work being used/altered at another site, report it there. Anybody has my permission to. It's already been brought to my attention that this duplicated copy was being promoted at another charmed site and I'm upset about it. Unfortunately, I'm not a member there so I couldn't fix the problem. The only recourse I had was that the other author voluntarily retracted the story from that site as well.

Also, I would like to make something else clear to everyone reading. I do understand that similar ideas float around out there. So don't freak and think I believe that's plagiarizing. For example, there are alot of people that share the idea to resurrect Prue but people do it differently so it's not plagiarizing. At least, that's how I see it. What I'm talking about are disguised carbon-copy ideas like this other story was in the process of becoming. Ones that copy your story-line plot/premise, point for point, reuse/re-tell your invented character themes (like Lana/Marie), and basically have no originality to them except in hiding it through thinly-veiled/altered scenes. When characters, sub-plots, and other themes are EXACT in nature, there is a problem.

Lol, anyway, now that I've vented that and hopefully made things clearer, please allow me to address and thank my loyal readers/reviewers, from the last chapter, once again ...

**PrUe anD AnDy**, **charmedgirlalyssa-phoebe**, **I'll Be Watching You Drown**, **Jedi Alanna**, and **Amanda**.

lol, the Prue/Billie relationship will continue to be awkward for a bit. And especially since Andy will now be thrown into the mix too. Plus, something will be coming up that will, unfortunately, put a minor strain on them but I won't tell you what that is just yet (wink) lol.

And you're welcome. I'm glad that I write to your expectations. Afterall, a story isn't much of a story at all without an audience to enjoy it! **:o) **

**PrUe anD AnDy: **thanks for taking the time to review again. Yes, I love it too when Andy and Prue make it through all the angst and have their happy ending. lol, although, hold on for a little bit because there is going to be some drama over the whole Billie "revelation."

**charmedgirlalyssa-phoebe: **lol, actually, I still have a way to go with the story still. I'm not quite done yet and I originally had this story planned out to be one, full, completed story with no sequels. I've also had a certain epilogue in mind since the beginning. We'll see, but for now it's going to just be a long, one-shot story instead of being broken up into sequels.

**I'll Be Watching You Drown: lol, **wow, thanks for that long, awesome review. And welcome on-board. Please allow me to state we have alot in common. Prue and Billie are my favorites too. Along with Piper. Although, one thing I do have to credit **Charmed**and the actors/actresses with, is that we can still love the other characters (like Phoebe/Paige/Leo etc ... ) and still have favorites. Because the show just wouldn't be complete without any of them. I really can't say the same thing for alot of other TV shows.

lol, oh but, yes. There will be some more Prue/Billie interaction. I just have to incorporate the moments at the right times. And as for Henry? I actually have something small planned in mind for his character that will connect back into his desire to start a family with Paige right away. You remember that little tiff they were having in the beginning of the story? It might tie into another "skeleton" in the closet (as you've worded it **lol**) but I'm not sure yet. So, no worries on that end. He won't be dying anytime soon.

**Jedi Alanna: **Welcome back. **:o) **

Richardson, hehe. Lol, yeah, I actually had two directions in mind for his character but I think I've settled on the one I'll be going in. Plus, his background will tie into another character's (or possibly characters **;o) **) We'll see.

**Amanda: **Welcome. Glad you really like my story. I really hope you'll continue to read it and love it.

In answer to your question, Piper is a little bit ahead of Prue. About a month. Women typically know for sure between the one and two-month mark so for the purposes of my story, assume that Piper and Prue both found out they were pregnant at the two-month marker. Piper found out first before Prue showed back up. Which means, Piper was three months when Prue found out from Paige (who found out from Dimitri). Prue found out after Andy left, but some time had passed. Since it's two months later, Piper would be about five months along. Prue is four months as this chapter will hint at.

And now, on with the next chapter. This chapter is a bit lighter and not as heavy. More of a transitional chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 28: Unwelcome Interference**

The unseen figure moved with ease through the downstairs foyer and up the winding staircase.

As the figure moved, he was fairly confident that he wouldn't be seen by anyone. After reaching the second floor corridor of the house, the figure stopped, taking his time to look to the right and then turning his head to look left. The figure chose to proceed to the right.

After choosing the right direction, the figure came upon one of the women. She was exiting a bedroom door. It was the eldest Halliwell sister, Prue. The figure was aware of her recent return. And as she passed by, the figure noted how she stopped to take a quick glance around. It was almost as if she was sensing the presence of someone else who was nearby. However, the figure watched from his position as she brushed the thought off just as quickly as it had entered her mind and then continued her walk in the opposite direction down the hall.

The figure also continued down the stretch of hallway until reaching the attic. It was here; he could sense it and not that far away either. Slowly, the figure ascended the attic steps before coming upon another one of the other women kneeling down on the attic floor. This time it was the youngest sister, Paige, and the Book of Shadows sat on the floor beside her. The figure noted that she appeared to be in the process of securing something underneath a piece of floor board. The figure smiled because he knew he had now found what he was searching for.

Once again, the figure watched as the youngest sister halted all movement and turned to look around the attic. She, too, seemed to sense the presence of another close by only she could not see anyone else there. Shrugging it off, the woman went back to finishing the task at hand.

After finding out what he needed to know, the figure shut his eyes as the boundaries of time and space shifted. He now found himself standing in the same spot on the floor and in the same place, approximately two months later, in the attic of the Halliwell Manor. The figure was alone, standing inside the present instead of in the past. In a cautious manner, he glanced around to make sure he was definitely alone and when he felt relatively confident that the attic was in fact empty, he then allowed himself to become visible.

The figure went in search of the area in the floor, the one area holding what he sought. He had witnessed the youngest Charmed One hiding it away and slowly he placed one foot before the other until his entire weight gave way to the creaking sound found beneath him. He stopped, bent over, and realized he had finally located the loosened piece of floor board. Kneeling down on one knee, he unsealed it, revealing that one lost page he had taken so long ago. It was rolled up and he reached for it.

While standing back up, the figure took his time to unroll the page carefully and inspect the ancient language before slowly making his way over to the attic window. As he looked outside, he became witness to the other hustling figures down below, figures who had exited the house and were making their way for the parked vehicles in the driveway and on the street. They all appeared to be in some big hurry to get somewhere.

The figure turned back around. He glanced over at the Book of Shadows, sitting on the podium, one final time before fading away for good. However, what he had missed was the other invisible figure that was hidden in the shadows of the attic, watching his every move carefully with narrowed eyes.

"Not so fast Avatar!" the other hidden figure snarled. "I don't think so."

The other figure allowed himself to become visible before his dark orbs appeared, taking the darklighter away from the attic and in search of the Avatar.

**ooooo **

Prue didn't want to let go. She feared that in the moment she did, she would find out that it was all some weird sort of daydream born out of her own wishful thinking. That when she pulled back, Andy wouldn't be standing there anymore because her mind had only been playing tricks on her. He'd be gone. Again.

Andy was the first one to pull back gently. In mortal time, he hadn't been gone more than a few months but it still felt like a lifetime to him. With a small smile in place, he took his time and looked her over carefully. She was wearing a simple pair of loose-fitting, khaki pants with a v-necked shirt, exposing her neckline. A small, fitting, jean jacket accompanied the dress ensemble. The long, dark, brown hair still flowed down her back in soft, shiny waves, complimenting the red coloring of her shirt. And the eyes were still that same bluish-green in color that he had come to be so mesmerized by a long time ago. But, now, they appeared to shine even more. The glassy stare glistened under the light and it was due to the build-up of tears found behind it.

As his eyes scanned over her shapely contours, his eyes came to rest on the slight bulge that appeared to be protruding from her mid-section. Quickly, he noted that it wouldn't be as noticeable to the naked eye unless someone was in complete, close proximity to her, much like himself in this moment. After his smile faded a little bit, his facial expression morphed into a mask of piqued curiosity. Prue followed his gaze downwards and when she caught what held his attention she brought her hands down to rest across her stomach and a soft smile crossed her face.

"Uh, yeah, that," she answered to the questioning look that had suddenly appeared across his face. "I found out after you left." Prue paused, glancing at Paige, and playfully rolled her eyes as the real truth occurred to her. "Actually, Paige found out for me first. The test just verified it."

Paige playfully rolled her own eyes back in response and smiled back.

Prue brought her focus back to Andy. "But don't ask if it's going to be a boy or a girl because we're not going to find out until after its born!" she admonished in a half-joking manner, with her index finger pointing at him.

While pulling her back into a hug, Andy just smiled. He kissed the top of her head and then briefly closed his eyes before responding to his wife's declaration. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he muttered against her. He was just so glad to be back, he didn't want to take anything for granted ever again. "Just as long as everything's okay?"

Prue pulled away. "Everything's fine," she assured him. "It's still early but the doctor says everything looks great so far."

Phoebe made it a point to interject. She sent her sister a serious look. "Beginning of the second trimester but Prue's still gonna' take it easy and be extra careful," she scolded gently, making reference to their very recent trip into the Underworld.

Prue narrowed her eyes back at her sister. It wasn't a malicious gesture, just an open display of her stubborn nature when it came to admitting to the fact that someone else could be right. She sighed before responding to her sister's assertion.

"I promise to be careful," she stressed, making it a point to look Phoebe squarely in the eyes. "But thank god for Paige. We can really count on her if anything goes wrong."

Both Andy and Prue turned to Paige, who in return, cowered slightly under their gaze. It was another one of those times she preferred not to be the center of attention. She really didn't want them to take notice of her uncomfortable stance because while two of her sisters were now standing with the most important men in their lives, she was standing there alone while her husband was left inside the dangerous clutches of the Underworld. However, at the same time, Paige didn't want anyone in the room to get the wrong idea. She was happy for Prue and Andy and even for Phoebe and Coop. But those awkward feelings and those small amounts of resentment still found a way to seep through. And in all honesty, it put a damper on the unexpected reunion, making it hard to celebrate. However, a quick glance to the side of her told Paige she wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable. Billie also stood quietly to the side looking a bit uncomfortable in light of this new development.

Prue broke the silence and shifted her gaze between Andy and Paige.

"Um, Andy?" she tentatively began. "I know that you guys only met briefly but this is Paige. Paige this is Andy," she introduced. "Paige is another sister. She was adopted and met back up with Piper and Phoebe when I ... left," she struggled for the right word.

Andy turned his gaze away from his wife and back over towards Paige and nodded his head to acknowledge the introduction. With a bashful smile and her arms crossed over her chest, Paige barely lifted one hand and issued a quick wave back.

"Hi."

Andy smiled in response and then walked over to introduce himself. Paige was preparing to extend her hand out to him, when very unexpectedly, he gently reached over to pull her into a hug. Feeling surprised and with a facial expression in place to show it, she accepted the hug and felt some of the uneasiness leave her at the warm reception she was receiving from someone that really didn't know her all that well.

"I believe you first met me as Michael but now you get to meet the real me," he joked. "Andy Trudeau."

Paige smiled. "Paige Matthews," she reciprocated and then pulled her hand back.

Before continuing, Andy briefly glanced over at Billie and then addressed Paige once again. "And let me just get it out of the way and offer my thanks. For whatever it is you probably did to help keep them safe," he offered, referring to both Prue and the baby.

"Nah, it's nothing," Paige humbly replied, dismissing the gratitude with a wave of her hand. "Besides, the way I hear it, I should probably be thanking you. Without you, I might not even have sisters today."

Andy responded with a gracious smile but he knew Prue well enough to know about that single-minded, determined streak of hers and how that natural inclination could get her into trouble if she wasn't careful. Without needing to be there, he accepted that Phoebe's warning had to have some merit to it.

Then, after Paige glanced towards Billie once again, she decided to quickly break in with the official introduction and get it out of the way. She figured that by doing it, she could help to eliminate some of the uneasy feelings being felt on both Prue's end and Billie's end if Prue had to be the one to do it. At least, it would help just a little bit until her sister was ready to come clean with that particular news.

"Oh, and this is Billie," Paige looked over towards her and smiled. "Billie's been a very big help around here and I'm sure the two of you will be seeing alot of each other in the future!" she nodded her head dramatically, realizing that Andy wouldn't understand the significance behind her meaning just yet.

Billie stood with her arms crossed and took a deep breath as the man, who she had recently found out to be her father, turned his full attention towards her. He smiled a warm smile and she quickly covered up her own nervous feelings, squashing the butterflies in her stomach by offering a small smile of her own. It helped to relieve some of that nervous tension that had been building up.

Andy gently extended his hand. "It's nice to meet you," came his reply.

Billie extended her own hand to shake his. "Same here," she answered back.

As Billie took the opportunity to sum up the man standing before her, she quickly pieced together that Andy had a much calmer presence, or aura, that surrounded him. He seemed naturally easy-going and a bit laid back. Which probably made him pretty easy to talk to, she surmised. It was a much different presence than her other father, the man she had grown up with and had been raised by.

Bill Jenkins had been a very private person with a reserved nature and he hadn't put his trust in people easily. However, Billie didn't want to ever leave the wrong impression with people when it came to who she had recently discovered was her adoptive father. If anyone were to ask Billie, she would make it very clear that she had loved him very much. After all, he was the only father she had ever known. She was even his namesake. It was just that his hardened nature had sometimes made it difficult for Billie to talk with him or to express how she felt around him.

Andy arched his brow, imitating someone who would be in the middle of deep thought. "Hm. I'm going to go out on a limb and take a guess that you being here means that you happen to be a witch too, right?" He smiled again. "How am I doing?"

Billie smiled and pulled her hand back. "Good guess," she answered. She slipped both hands into the slits of both pockets found in her jeans, feeling somewhat anxious again.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the situation herself, Prue cleared her throat loudly to get everyones attention. When she had it, she walked over to stand beside her husband and readdressed Andy. "So. Um, I guess you can take some time to get settled in here first and then we can update you on everything else going on around here."

"Sure," he replied, with a nod of his head.

Coop and Phoebe stood side by side. He took a moment to compose himself and then decided to approach Prue. He looked at Phoebe once and then spoke out.

"Um, as long as we're doing the introductions here, I should probably get mine out of the way." He took a few steps in Prue's direction. "With everything that's been going on I know we haven't really been formally introduced. But I'm Coop." He smiled and extended his hand.

Prue smiled back and extended her hand to him.

In a gentle and affectionate fashion, Coop accepted it with his own and then he used his other hand to cover the top of theirs. "I'm glad that Phoebe has you back," he offered. He looked back over at her and Phoebe released a warm smile back at him.

Prue quickly glanced at Phoebe. "I've been hearing alot about you. And I'm really glad that my sister found someone who can make her happy. So, congratulations," she offered in light of the engagement news. "And thanks for helping to bring Andy back home. I'm not sure I can ever fully repay you for that. Or Leo." Then, on reflection, she thought about her statement. "Uh, but speaking of Leo. Where is he? If you guys are back, shouldn't he be?"

Prue looked between Coop and Andy waiting for an answer. Andy shifted his body language, moving to cross his arms, while Coop moved his hands back to the side of his hips before attempting an explanation. Both men shared a knowing look with each other. "Uh," Coop barely got out before he was cut off.

Everyone in the room was suddenly distracted by the sudden appearance of blue and white orbs. The interruption alerted everyone to the sudden presence of a child. The orbs had transformed into Molly. There was a clear view of pouting lips, set firmly in place, that was keenly noticeable to all. She remained stationary with a red building block dangling from one hand.

"Hey, she's getting pretty good at that," Prue commented under her breath, her reference being directed at Molly's ability to orb like Paige, Wyatt, and Chris. However, immediately taking note of her daughter's apparent state of minor distress, she suspected that both she and Wyatt were probably engaging each other in another battle of wills involving toys. "Baby, what's the matter?"

"Mommy, Wyatt's mean," she announced, crossing her arms. "I don't want to play with him anymore! I want the red ones. The blue ones are ugly!"

Prue walked over, unintentionally blocking any direct sight of Andy from Molly. Quickly, she acknowledged that Molly had to be referring to a set of toy building blocks after seeing the red, building block now grasped securely in her hand. She knelt down in front of her daughter, holding her full attention.

"Molly, you liked the blue ones yesterday." As a reminder, she had opted to lightly reprimand her daughter. Molly and Wyatt had been having these minor spats lately over most of his toys. Prue assumed it was partly due to Wyatt's acting out over the sudden absence of both his parents.

"Nah-ah," Molly denied, shaking her head stubbornly. "I don't like them alot. I just played with those cause' Wyatt made me! I want the red ones! They prettier!"

Prue shut her eyes briefly and sighed. "Okay but Molly, honey, they're Wyatt's blocks. So you're going to have to share them and get along. Otherwise you can't play with them at all."

Suddenly, the small group was greeted by the second appearance of blue and white orbs materializing into Wyatt. In his hand, he carried a small bucket full of red building blocks. It was clear to everyone in the room he had arrived on the scene to retrieve the last one now in Molly's possession. Molly instinctively stepped backwards. Using both hands, she attempted to hide the remaining block behind her back.

"Auntie Pwue, she has my block!" he announced in his toddler-like talk. He pointed to her at the same time. "Give me!" he called out, intending to orb it back to him, while turning to look at his cousin at the same time. He stretched his arm out before her to get it back.

"No!" she stubbornly refused. "It's mine!"

At this point, Phoebe stepped forward and swiftly retrieved the bucket of blocks from Wyatt's hand and the block hidden behind Molly's back. "Actually, now, they're all mine!" she announced in a sing-song voice. "You both can play with the blue ones. Now go," she directed playfully.

Wyatt and Molly both looked at each other, mouths agape. Then, they turned to face their Aunt Phoebe with the same expression still in place.

"See. Problem solved. No more whining." Phoebe deposited the last red block into the bucket along with the others, putting an end to the childish feud, and walked back towards Coop. He shared a slight grin of amusement with her as she returned to his side.

Up until this point, Andy had stood in the background, silently observing his daughter's willful display until now. He just wanted a moment to watch her once again before finally drawing her attention towards him. He smiled and then called out to her. "Hey there, peanut?" He waited until he had her full attention. "Can daddy get a big hug over here?" he asked.

After Molly registered the sound of her father's voice, she turned to look in his direction. Then, with a big smile plastered on her face, she ran towards him. "Daddy!" she squealed excitedly as she ran into his arms. "You came back!"

Andy lifted her off the floor. "Of course I came back. I missed you." He hugged her close and kissed the side of her head.

"I missed you too, daddy," she told him. "But guess what?"

"What?" he questioned.

"Mommy said she's going to bring home a baby pretty soon and then I'll get to be a sister," she announced proudly. "And then I get to be the biggest one," she demonstrated happily, by spreading her hands wide apart. "Just like Wyatt!"

"Wow!" he played along with her. "That's great."

"But don't tell anyone. It's a really big secret," she added, lowering her voice to a whisper and cupping her hand against one side of her mouth as she spoke.

"Okay," Andy whispered back. "You've been good for mommy, I hope?" She remained quiet and shared a look between her mother and father. "Uh-huh," he gave his daughter a knowing look. "Behave. No more fighting over toys," he scolded her lightly.

Andy placed Molly back onto the floor. Quickly, she ran off back in the direction of Wyatt who stood watching the whole scene with interest.

Prue smiled at the moment and then closed her eyes with a brief shake of her head. "So much for having a daughter that knows how to keep my secrets?" she joked. Then, she turned her playful banter towards Phoebe. "But then again, having a sister who's been a virtual open book through most of my life certainly shouldn't make it that much more shocking or difficult to deal with. Experience is certainly my friend."

Phoebe laughed. "Excuse me? Whoa, hold up. I'm getting better with that. Paige, please tell her I'm getting better!" Phoebe instructed of her baby sister, looking at Paige for some moral support while pointing in Prue's direction at the same time.

Paige nodded her head in amusement. "Eh - she's getting better," she shook her hand to display her semi- agreement with Phoebe's analysis on herself.

"Thank you," Phoebe asserted, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, I mean, she kept her engagement to Coop a secret for what? A whole week?" Paige cracked. "That's seven full days," she continued, "so I guess that's gotta' count for something!"

Prue carried on with all the playful banter now being swung back and forth. Mockingly, she gasped and opened her mouth into a giant O-shape, feigning surprise. Then, she couldn't help but break out and laugh. Phoebe just shut her eyes and shook her head. With her own smirk, she threw out her own comeback.

"Alright, you guys. Ha ha, funny. But I'll just have the both of you know that I still think I have a secret or two left in the closet when it comes to you two. And if you don't watch it here, there might be a small surprise waiting in my advice column tomorrow morning."

"Ooh," Billie drawled out. "Blackmail." She smiled and then laughed.

"Yup, you got it, niece! Works every time," Phoebe cracked again, before catching her accidental slip of the tongue.

Phoebe first noted the look of surprise coming from Billie and then from the other faces in the room, resulting from her open and blatant admission. However, after glancing towards Andy, it hadn't appeared to phase him very much. Luckily, he seemed to just take all the humor in stride with the rest of the joking around being passed back and forth and didn't seem read into it what she just said.

At the same time she sent her sister a glare, Prue also acknowledged she would need to have that conversation with Andy about Billie soon. It was just a matter of time before someone else slipped without giving much thought to it. Although, she did feel some momentary relief pass over her regarding the fact that the truth hadn't been explained to Molly just yet. Otherwise, she probably would have spilt the beans right there on the spot, Prue reflected. She had been waiting for the right moment to do it but now, as she thought about it some more, she felt confused on how to even broach the topic with Andy because he would definitely have alot of questions. They would be questions she couldn't answer because of her lapse in memory. Breaking away from her thoughts, Prue coughed in order to cover up the awkward moment.

"Yeah, well, that works both ways," Prue commented with a smug smile. "Part of having a sister who has been so open about everything, comes that tinie consequence of others knowing too much about you." Narrowing her eyes playfully, Prue used both her thumb and index finger to place emphasis on her _tinier _description. "Which means, your fiance over there has first dibs on anything he wants to know."

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh. Message received. Back off!"

Prue, Andy, Phoebe, Coop, and Paige all released smiles or small laughs in response until Wyatt responded with a question of his own, cutting short the care-free moment.

"Where's my daddy?" he asked out of the blue.

All smiles dropped as everyone's focus became the little boy standing before them. Anxiously, he looked around the room at all the adult faces waiting for his answer. But, then, the sudden ringing sound coming from the telephone in the kitchen broke the silence. It startled some in the room, causing them to jump.

"I'll get it," Billie volunteered almost immediately, raising her hand up.

She uncrossed her arms and turned around, heading in the direction of the kitchen. She was feeling uneasy and just wanted to remove herself out of the room as soon as she could. Witnessing the small, family moment between Prue, Molly, and Andy made her feel like she was intruding on something private. Molly was only a little girl and her words spoken moments before were completely innocent in nature but they still sent a stinging sensation straight through her entire being. That simply was because Billie was in fact the big sister and she hadn't expected to feel so discounted by a few simple words uttered by a small child who meant nothing malicious by them. However, Billie made a conscious decision to push those feelings down after concluding she was being childish, petty, and jealous for no good reason.

After Billie's departure, Prue swallowed, looking towards Phoebe and Paige. How were they even suppose to answer that question when they didn't know the answer themselves? Then, Phoebe approached Wyatt and knelt down in front of him.

"Sweetie, we talked about that, remember?" she gently reminded him. "Daddy's away right now working very very hard to make mommy all better. So that she can come back home and be with you and Chris again."

Wyatt listened before speaking back. "Molly gots her daddy back?" His small mind only comprehending that if she got hers back then it made sense he should too.

"Oh, sweetie." Phoebe pulled Wyatt into a hug. "I know she did. And you'll get yours back too, okay? Promise."

Although, a part of Phoebe cringed at her own declaration of reassurance. She didn't want to fill her nephew with a sense of false hope and prove to be a liar down the road but what else could she really say to him? The truth was they didn't know what was going on with Leo right now. All they were presently aware of was that he hadn't come back with Coop and Andy and she was sure that couldn't be a good thing.

"But listen. You have me, and Auntie Paige, and Auntie Prue." Then, she turned to look at the two men standing behind her. "And look, there's Uncle Coop. He's back too. And now, you have someone else. That's Uncle Andy. We love you very much and we'll all be here for you until your daddy comes back. And when mommy comes back."

Wyatt glanced around at all the faces. "Okay," he mumbled.

"That's a good boy," Phoebe remarked playfully. She hugged him a second time. While standing back up, she gently tousled some of his blond hair around.

"Don't worry. You can share my daddy until yours comes back," Molly offered.

However, suddenly, the moment was interrupted by Billie. In an excited state, she raced back into the living room prepared to share the big news. Then came the big announcement.

"The hospital just called. It's Piper. She's out of the coma!"

**ooooo **

He sat looking through his rear-view mirror.

He was parked a few feet up the street and away from the house. He didn't want to be too close and alert them to his presence but he also didn't want to be so far away that he wouldn't be able to spy on their comings and goings.

That was the place. The scene of a crime that changed his life forever and he watched as figures suddenly became visible after exiting the front door. It was the eldest sister accompanied by the other two sisters and the blond from that other night. They appeared to be in a rush to get somewhere as the eldest one parted with one of the sisters in her green buggy and the blond went with the other one.

"Well, well. We finally have some action," he muttered.

After the green car pulled out of the driveway, it was followed closely by the second car. As both vehicles passed by him on the street, he turned his head in the opposite direction so he wouldn't be recognized. Then, he turned back around.

"Alright, ladies. You're obviously in a big hurry. Let's see what the big fuss is all about."

Inspector Richardson started the ignition and pulled out into the open road. Then he tailed closely behind them at a safe distance.

**ooooo**

He sat back from the table, with his hands beating against the table in a steady pattern.

Within the presence of the Afterlife Council, both Leo and Dimitri now sat to one side at one table while the remaining Elders sat across from them at the other. Dimitri listened intently to the sound coming from Leo's fingers. A clear indicator that he was anxious to get out of here.

"Do you have to do that?" Dimitri inquired easily. "You know it won't get you back home any sooner." In truth, it was beginning to give him a headache.

"Huh?" Leo inquired back. He seemed in a daze, like he hadn't heard a word spoken.

Dimitri sighed and then smiled. "Never-mind. Whatever works to get you through it, I guess. Right?"

A puzzled expression crossed Leo's face until they were alerted to the now familiar sounds of the booming voices heard overhead.

"WE SHALL BEGIN WITH THE ELDER WHO CALLS HIMSELF DIMITRI," the loud voice began. "SINCE YOU ARE BEING ACCUSED OF MERELY ONE OFFENSE, IT WILL BE EASIER. STAND," they instructed of him.

Dimitri stood on his two feet. He swallowed nervously, awaiting the Council's next move.

"IS IT TRUE THAT YOU PARTICIPATED IN THE VIOLATION OF A UNIVERSAL CODE THAT PREVENTS ENTRY INTO THIS REALM THROUGH THE MYSTIC REALM WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION TO DO SO?"

"Yes," he replied.

"No!" came Leo's simultaneous response. Dimitri turned to stare at him.

Leo immediately stood to his feet. "And please. Before the Council interrupts and reprimands me for interfering with this inquiry, allow me to explain."

"I HIGHLY DOUBT OUR REPRIMAND WOULD LEAVE MUCH OF AN IMPACT ANYWAY," they mocked him in return. "AS WE'VE LEARNED. WE GATHER THAT'S EXACTLY HOW YOU FOUND YOURSELF IN THE TROUBLE YOU'RE IN. BUT DO CONTINUE."

"Thank you. Dimitri is a newly appointed Elder. I ask this Council to please show some leniency. I'm the one that entered the Mystic Realm without making him aware of it. And I knew what I was doing. He did not."

"Leo?" Dimitri began to object. "What are you doing?"

It wasn't true. Dimitri had known exactly what Leo had been looking for and had helped him to locate it. And as a newly appointed Elder, he had been mandated to familiarize himself with most universal codes of conduct. The Afterlife Council would never buy that excuse.

Leo ignored his plea. "If you wish to hold me accountable for breaking the code, so be it. But Dimitri has a promising future as an Elder. And the Council needs more members like him." Leo sent the other Elders a glare when he made that insinuation. "So do the right thing and send him back."

"WHETHER THAT IS THE RIGHT THING REMAINS TO BE SEEN," another voice argued back. "HOWEVER, YOUR INTENTIONS ARE NOBLE, ELDER. BUT THAT STILL DOESN'T MEAN THAT ALL LAWS AND CODES CAN JUST BE CAST ASIDE. THERE HAS TO BE ACCOUNTABILITY."

"Then hold me accountable!" Leo countered.

"Leo, you don't have to do this," Dimitri objected. "Stop. This isn't doing you any good in getting back home to your wife or your kids," he attempted to remind him.

Leo accepted he was probably digging a deeper hole for himself but, then again, what's to say he wasn't in enough trouble already? But he knew that Emeritus and the others were just using poor Dimitri as some scapegoat, even if he did break one universal code. It was hypocritical really, considering all the codes they were guilty of interfering with over the years themselves and Leo just didn't want them to get away with it. Period.

"THE COUNCIL WILL AGREE. HOWEVER, AS A CONSEQUENCE, THE ELDER IN QUESTION WILL BE TEMPORARILY STRIPPED OF HIS ELDER DUTIES. DIMITRI WILL HAVE HIS STATUS REINSTATED UPON THE DECISION MADE BY THIS COUNCIL. HE MAY DEPART FROM THESE PROCEEDINGS."

Dimitri shook his head, some sorrow evident in his posture. He turned to address Leo but was immediately cut off by him.

"Don't say anything," he instructed of the other man. "Don't thank me. Don't attempt to argue with me. Just go! But I will ask one thing of you?"

"Sure," Dimitri answered.

"Continue to look after Piper and her sisters. Just in case," he trailed off. But both men knew what was meant. In case Leo wouldn't be coming home. Ever again.

Dimitri nodded solemnly and then the same familiar flash that had carried all the others away reappeared, whisking the Elder away with it.

Now it would just be Leo and the others.

**ooooo**

After the four women exited the two cars, they took quick strides towards the entrance to the Bay General Hospital. However, Billie kept pace at a slower distance while walking behind the others, taking another quick glance over her shoulder.

She had accidentally taken notice of the other car a few blocks back. At first, she thought that it might have been her imagination, but quickly threw that assumption out the window when the same car appeared to hastily jump a red light. The swerving sound and the sound of the gears grinding had caught her attention and after looking through the side view mirror, Billie concluded that the car seemed to be a model sported around by most detectives. More precisely, an Inspector, as one would be called in San Francisco. Her immediate thoughts ran to that one night at the club and the Inspector her mother had been questioned by. Was he following them?

"Psst," Billie hissed behind Paige, as she picked up her pace to catch up with her. Both Prue and Phoebe were already several steps ahead.

Paige slowed down a bit as Billie rushed along beside her.

"Don't look now, but I think we were followed," she announced to her aunt. "That cop model I thought I saw trailing us just pulled into the parking lot a couple seconds ago."

"What?" Paige asked startled. She stopped to take a good look around. "Where?"

Billie grabbed for her arm. "Hey, don't make it that obvious," she announced in an excited fashion. "We don't want him to know we know!"

"Uh, who's he?" Paige asked, clearly confused by who Billie was talking about.

"I think it's that Inspector guy from the night of the fire," she explained. "At first I thought maybe Agent Murphy was keeping an eye on us but then I took a better look at that car. Definitely not Agent Murphy's.

Paige sighed and briefly closed her eyes. "Of course," she groaned. She looked towards the entrance, blowing out a deep breath of air, and then noticed that her sisters were already gone and out of sight. "But c'mon. Prue and Phoebe are already inside. We'll deal with that later."

Paige and Billie both hustled for the entrance as the automatic doors slide open. They raced down the small corridor and towards the elevators. Piper had been assigned a new room and Prue and Phoebe stood inside, holding the elevator doors for them.

"Hurry it up slow pokes," Phoebe announced in a good-natured manner.

Once they were all inside, the women were taken to the fifth floor. After exiting, they approached the reception desk that was close by.

"Hi," Prue announced. "We're here to see Piper Halliwell? She's our sister. We were told she was awake and was transferred to this floor a couple hours ago?"

"Uh-huh," the nurse attending the station answered in a distracted manner. "If you'll just have a seat right over there, the doctor will be with you in a minute."

"Right," Prue mumbled, as she turned and gave a look to her sisters.

All four women proceeded to enter the waiting area when they were alerted to the sound of Victor and his voice calling out to them.

"Girls? How is she?" He was walking at a quick speed in their direction.

"We only know what you know," Phoebe announced, stepping forward to give her father a quick hug. He issued a light kiss against her temple.

Afterwards, Victor stepped towards Prue. He then offered the same gesture, a hug and then a kiss against her temple. Prue felt slightly uncomfortable with this open display of affection but it really wasn't something to get into at the moment. She accepted it and let it pass. Victor's last stop was Billie. He offered her a light hug which she also accepted. Then, he acknowledged Paige with a gracious head-nod in her direction.

"Paige."

"Uh, good. You're all here," came the voice that interrupted them. It was the doctor. Doctor Ramon to be more exact. "Well, at least most of you are," he amended, after taking notice that Piper's husband was absent from the small group. "Let me briefly update you on your sister's condition."

The entire group was all ears as they absorbed the latest news.

**ooooo**

She was agitated but she couldn't help it. Being bed-ridden wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she had suddenly awoken several short hours ago.

"Ms. Halliwell?" the nurse attempted to reach her for the third time. The woman's tone made it clear that she was fairly frustrated at this point by the patient's refusal to cooperate. "We've already explained to you that physical therapy will be required to regain full use of your legs."

But Piper didn't listen. For the tenth time, she was determined to lift herself from off the bed and make herself walk, damn it! She gritted her teeth and groaned as she used what feeling she still had in her arms to latch and grip her hand firmly onto the metal support found on the side of the bed. Then, she used her other hand to support her weight against the bed. She attempted another pull and tried to lift at the same time but it was unsuccessful once again. There was little feeling in her legs; therefore, no conceivable way to stand up on her own. Instantly, she fell backwards onto the bed, releasing another deep groan of frustration.

"Damn it!" she cursed.

After waking up, the nurses had assisted the doctor with removing what was left of the bandaging around her head. And after most of the tubing had departed from her, she attempted to use whatever little strength she had left to maneuver her position on the bed. To her immediate dismay, she had found it to be extremely difficult. In the recesses of her mind, she was vaguely aware of someone trying to inform her that her comatose state had left her immobile for a short period of time. Which, in turn, had weakened her muscles, rendering her limbs almost totally useless. After that, they had transported her to a new room outside of the ICU. And, now, here she lay.

"I can't walk!" she declared. "I can not even freaking move anywhere! How can this be happening to me?"

The second nurse took a deep breath.

"Ms. Halliwell?" she attempted in a calm manner. "I understand your frustration. The doctor is setting up sessions as we speak. A daily regime of exercise will strengthen your muscles again so you'll regain your ability to walk. Please try to understand it's just going to take some time."

"Time? I don't have time!" she argued back. She was looking up at the ceiling, one hand resting against her forehead. "And I don't think you have any idea how literal that I actually mean that!" Her eyes beginning to tear up, a clear indication of how frustrated she was actually feeling. "Where are my sisters?" she suddenly demanded. "Just get me my sisters!" she put her foot down with no more room for argument.

"Your family has been notified, Ms. Halliwell," the first nurse interjected to inform her of that. "I'm sure they'll be here soon and then you can see them."

The doctor came back onto the scene as he entered the hospital room once again. A wheelchair had been brought into the room along with him in order for her to use. "Piper? I think I have some good news for you," Doctor Ramon addressed her.

Piper huffed. "Really?" she cracked. "Did you just so happen to find me a better room with a better view? Preferably, one that I will be able to _walk_ in?" she stressed.

She was still staring up at the ceiling trying to sort out everything that had happened in her mind. What could possibly constitute good news right now, she thought. Leo wouldn't be back home for god knows how long, Gideon and the rest of the Triad would be coming after them, and she just awoke to discover that she wouldn't be able to walk?

_Yeah, just great. Try going up against the Triad with no legs. __On second thought, thank god blowing up demons requires the use of my hands and not my feet._

At the thought, she began to laugh out loud. The nurses and the doctor present in the room with her would probably think she was going mad, but she didn't care. She made quick mental note to herself: Next stop right after physical therapy? Yep, the psych ward.

"Your family is here. And they'd like to see you. I've explained your condition to them and how your sessions will be beginning right away." Doctor Ramon explained to her, attempting to break through Piper's laughing fit with what was obviously intended to be good news.

Piper did stop laughing when that particular information was shared with her. Her mood suddenly and very inexplicably shifted. She swallowed and turned her head to get a better look at the wheelchair. Something she could be dependant on for who knows how long. Now, she just felt like crying again. She needed to see them, her sisters, and when she struggled to move, the doctor and nurses immediately came to her aid.

"Here," the doctor issued as he and the two nurses assisted her.

The wheelchair had been brought closer to the bed as all three medical personnel, attending to her care, supported her and helped to transfer her from the bed to the wheelchair. Then, one of the nurses left while the other remained behind and pushed from behind. As she exited the room and entered the hospital corridor, she was accompanied by both the doctor and nurse. Piper brought her hands closer to rest against her abdomen. And that's when she noted the difference. She definitely felt bigger. Her eyes widened a bit. How long had she been out? The doctor and nurses hadn't shared that in too much detail. Then, while passing by a room, she overheard some of the television broadcast ...

_And on this sunny January day of the new year, we do expect weather conditions and temperatures in the San Francisco area to remain in ... _

It was a weather forecast. And Piper quickly noted it as the television volume faded into the background behind her while being pushed further down the hospital corridor.

"How long was I out for?" Piper blurted out. "What's the date today?"

Doctor Ramon turned to address her. "Does it really matter?" he countered, avoiding a definitive answer. "The important thing is that you've recovered from something most people don't. You should really concentrate on all recovery efforts."

"That's not an answer, doctor," Piper countered back.

The doctor sighed and stopped, bringing the nurse and Piper's wheelchair to a stop with them. He turned to address her. "You were completely unconscious for about two months," he finally admitted. "We're in the end of January going into February."

"Of 2007?" her voice hitched.

"Yes."

They resumed pushing her down the long corridor of the hospital. Two months? How could that much time have passed? It didn't feel like two months to her. A bunch of thoughts rambled through her head all at once. How had her sisters managed without her all this time? What about the Power of Three? What about the Triad? And the boys? She brought one hand up to cover her mouth.

"I assure you everything will be fine," the doctor added to reassure her once again. "Although, we did have problems locating your husband and his whereabouts."

Then, while passing by the glassy window exteriors covering the front of some other hospital rooms, Piper suddenly felt her heart leap out of her chest. The sight reflecting back at her caused her to freeze in shock because the hazy reflection staring back was herself and it made her recoil. She was utterly and horribly disgusted with her appearance. For the first time since she regained consciousness, she was noticing the small amount of choppy hair found on the top of her head. Where had all her hair gone? She couldn't believe that she had not paid any attention to that particular detail after waking up. Without warning, she felt a panic attack seize her and she lashed out.

"Take me back!" she yelled out.

Shocked by her sudden outburst, the nurse stopped pushing the wheelchair. The doctor turned to find out what exactly the problem was.

Her eyes watered over. "Take me back now!" she instructed again.

"Piper, I assure you everything is fine. Your sisters are waiting with your niece, I believe? And your father is with them too. They're in the waiting area," came the doctor's response.

"NO!" her voice hitched even higher. "I don't want them to see me like this!"

"Piper ..." but he was cut off before he could finish his sentence.

"Doctor, bring me back to my room now!" she demanded. Her voice was loud, firm, and left no room for arguments.

The doctor sighed wearily before giving in to her request. "Very well. But, Piper, physical therapy does begin first thing tomorrow morning. Please try and be ready. And my strongest advice would be to get through this with the love and support from your family. So please take some time to reconsider your decision."

Then Piper watched as Doctor Ramon proceeded in the same direction down the hall, while the nurse assisting her turned back around, heading back to the same room all three of them had just departed from minutes before. Her final thought on the matter was glued firmly into her mindset.

She just wasn't ready.

**ooooo **

All members of the Halliwell family anxiously awaited the doctor's return.

The worst of the news had been the information regarding Piper's temporary state of walking paralysis. Or, according to the doctor, it would most likely only be short term. But the sisters were still worried about that revelation because while they were beyond grateful for their sister's return to them, they were still even more concerned about what impact her new physical condition would have on the Ultimate Power and defeating Gideon and the rest of the Triad. It seemed like every time they were successful in overcoming one hurdle, another one was thrown directly into their path.

"Why is it taking so long?" Paige inquired rather impatiently.

"Maybe because she can't walk, Paige," Phoebe volunteered. It came out slightly muffled because she sat with her head tilted to the side and her hand partially covering her mouth. She wasn't deliberately poking fun at her sister's condition but the statement did almost come across in a joking sense.

They were all sitting down in chairs.

Prue shook her head solemnly. "Poor Piper. This is going to be a hard one for her."

"Yeah, but she'll make it through," Victor readily offered. "She's strong. And she carries that same stubborn quality. Just like you," he addressed Prue. "If I've noticed anything over the course of the last five years, it's definitely that."

"I wonder how long physical therapy will last?" inquired Billie out of the blue.

"As long as it takes," answered Phoebe. "But the sooner the better."

Doctor Ramon rounded the corner and came into full view. He approached them slowly and clapped his hands together in front of him, a nervous and worn-out gesture. Everyone stood up from their chairs and the same question had crossed everyone's mind. Where was Piper?

"Doctor?" questioned Prue. "What's going on?"

"Yeah. Where's our sister?" Phoebe immediately spoke up after her oldest sister.

Doctor Ramon took a deep breath. "Uh," he stammered. "Piper's having a typical psychological reaction that many other patients in her predicament experience."

Phoebe shook her head. "Meaning?"

"Meaning, she's embarrassed about her condition. And she isn't ready to see you yet," he finally announced to the small group that had gathered in front of him.

"What?" Paige called out in disbelief. "Well, that's ridiculous. There's nothing for her to be embarrassed about. We're here for her."

"I know and I understand your reaction to this as well," Doctor Ramon explained. "But, unfortunately, this all works on Piper's time table. Not any sooner or later. Obviously, the quicker she comes around, the faster the healing process can begin and complete itself. But I can't force her to visit with or see you. Not if she isn't ready. I'm really sorry," he offered as an apology.

Everyone stood stationary, shocked by this new development - all the faces turned to each other and everyone was basically struck speechless. Until Prue spoke up.

"Okay, so, doctor. What now? I mean, what exactly are we expected to do? Just wait around, hoping she'll eventually come around? Our sister was comatose. We were told she probably wouldn't even make it. And, now - what, we're expected to just leave?"

Doctor Ramon sighed. Placing his hands against his hips, he looked down towards the floor and back up in the faces of the family who stood before him.

"We'll keep you updated on her progress," he offered them. "And in the meantime, we'll have a professional working with her. To try and assist her in coming back around."

"A shrink?" Paige snorted. She stood with her arms crossed.

"We have highly qualified staff here at Bay General," came the doctor's response. "Piper will be in the hands of some of the best care. "But please. Feel free to stop by whenever you want to. Don't feel shunned or like you can't make other attempts to see her. We'll bring her out if she's willing. Or we can bring you to her."

"Right," Phoebe uttered. "Thanks doctor."

As the doctor departed, Phoebe turned back to face the others. Everyone was sporting the same worn-out, facial expression that she wore. They had held such high expectations when walking through that front door to the hospital. Now, they would leave disappointed. And maybe it was selfish of her, but Paige had been hoping to acquire Piper's help in their search to find and bring Henry back home alive.

"Okay, so now what?" Paige inquired with a shrug of her shoulders.

Billie broke in. "Uh, maybe, this isn't the best time to bring it up, but what about that other situation we encountered earlier?" she hinted at Paige with a dramatic nod of her head.

"What other situation?" It caught Prue's immediate attention. She looked back and forth between Paige and her daughter. They both looked back at her.

"Uh, Billie thinks she saw that cop following us here to the hospital earlier," Paige volunteered.

"What?" Phoebe interjected, trying to keep her voice low. "Are you kidding me?" Then she rolled her eyes. "How sure are you?"

"Pretty sure," answered Billie. "I'm pretty familiar with the make of their cars." Noticing their questioning stares, she shut her eyes and then shook her head to clear it up. "Uh, yeah, my dad's best friend use to work on the force," she explained. "He was an Inspector. I got to ride around with him a few times. So my best guess is it's probably that Richardson guy."

Victor remained silent, listening with piqued interest. It didn't really surprise him all that much anymore, his daughters were constantly dealing with one crisis or another.

Prue sighed wearily. "Right. Well, not that surprising," she conceded. "But, uh, let's get out of here first. We can talk more about it back at the house."

"Right," Phoebe readily agreed, while taking a glance around.

Everyone took those words as a cue to depart and, silently, they all approached the elevators prepared to leave the hospital.

**ooooo**

He had watched them from afar.

However, after pulling into the hospital parking lot, he had taken notice of the blond searching around as the others entered the building. Had she seen him? Perhaps, but he shrugged it off. Chances were they'd eventually figure it out anyway. They were smart. Besides, there really wasn't that much to find here. After watching them turn into the parking lot, he quickly concluded that they were probably just here on some news regarding the other sister's condition.

Then, he suddenly took notice of the four women now leaving the hospital with a man intact. An older looking gentleman, which signaled to the Inspector that he was more than likely some father figure, if not the father himself. Immediately, he reached for his cell phone.

After locating his contact list, he pushed the send button. His one-sided conversation could be heard only inside the car, as he sat alone in his vehicle.

"Hey, it's me. Yeah, I followed them here to the hospital. Uh-huh. Actually, they're leaving right now," his voice was explaining to whoever was on the other end. "Right. No, I understand. We'll be in touch."

Then, he hung up the phone and restarted the ignition so that he could leave. Tomorrow would definitely be another day.

**ooooo**

Phoebe was the first one to open the front door to the manor.

After she walked through the foyer, she walked through the dining room area and came upon a touching scene in the conservatory area. There, down on all fours, was Coop while Wyatt was hoisted over his back. He appeared to be imitating a horse, as Wyatt was all dressed up in his cowboy hat with his toy, water pistol grasped tightly in his hand.

"Bang bang!" the little boy hollered in Phoebe's direction. Chris, sitting on the floor, giggled in response to his big brother's role-playing.

Then, Phoebe took a quick glance to the right of Coop. Quickly, she brought her hand up to cover her mouth and tried really hard to suppress a laugh after catching what was happening over there. Because there sitting on the floor, was Andy, and he had become victim to one of the dress-up and make-up sessions that Molly would now hold on occasion. Both Paige and Phoebe had gone shopping and had taken the liberty of buying some things for Molly to do not that long ago. Phoebe cleared her throat to catch their attention, and when she had, the embarrassed looks on the faces of both men had been priceless. _If only I had a camera right now, _thought Phoebe. _Better yet, a camcorder. _

Along with some awkward body movement, both men began to stutter in an attempt to cover up the embarrassing moment. "Uh ..."

"Yeah, we were just playing around," Andy cut in, with an embarrassed laugh. With a tight pull, he yanked the long, furry, pink decor from around his neck. It found it's way to the floor and then the pink colored hat on top of his head was the next to go.

"Right. Right!" Coop exclaimed louder, as both men fought to regain their macho exterior.

Phoebe grinned. "Uh-huh! Save it boys," she teased. "You're busted!"

"Bang bang!" Wyatt yelled out again. This time it was directed at Coop and Andy. "I win!" he took victory over the game he was previously engaged in with the men.

At the same time, the others walked around the corner and a grin broke out on Prue's face after catching sight of Andy and what had obviously been going down moments before.

"Ooh. I'm jealous," Prue teased. "You actually look better than I do right now." Then, she arched her brows at him. "Although, honey, I don't think pink is really your color!" she laughed out loud, making reference to the child's pink lip gloss still found on his lips.

In a swift gesture, Andy used his shirt sleeve to quickly remove it and Prue couldn't help but feel amused by it so with a smile and another laugh, she stepped forward and planted a kiss against his left cheek. Everyone else shared in the moment too as some small snorting could be heard in the background and grins could be seen.

"So, how did it go?" Coop broke in, partly out of curiosity and partly to change the subject.

"Not as well as we would have liked," answered Phoebe. Being careful not to make any direct insinuations that could alert Wyatt to the situation, she continued. "There's going to be a big adjustment period," she opted to share.

Andy listened with the others and Coop nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"And not to sound like a broken record or anything, but we really need to get back to Henry and what we're going to do," Paige reminded them. "We can't wait."

"I know," Prue conceded. "We will. But let's just finish out the day with some unwinding. It's already been a long, tiring day with alot of surprises," he smiled over at Andy. "We'll definitely get back to it first thing tomorrow. And we still need to figure out what we're going to do anyway. Especially without any working potions."

Everyone agreed it was the best decision for the time being.

**ooooo**

After pulling the file from his desk, Inspector Richardson shoved it into his briefcase.

He was at the police precinct and had been stashing it there so it would be hands on when needed. He had returned back to the precinct after his smaller excursion was completed earlier, which happened to be keeping a close watch on the Halliwells and their movements. However, now, since it was at the end of the work day, he was preparing to go home.

Granted, most case files were now transfered into computer systems but this Inspector actually preferred to have his hard copy. That way, whatever he did, read, or responded to couldn't be electronically traced the same way the rest of the files could be.

Inspector Richardson was old school. Plain and simple. He appeared to be an older, middle-aged gentleman with graying hair, falling somewhere in his mid to late fifties. He had been serving as an officer since his early twenties and had successfully made his way up the professional ladder within the profession. For awhile, he had even served as a Captain too but had dropped his rank back down to Inspector for personal reasons.

Some of those personal reasons were now connected to the file he held in his possession. It connected back to a time he had been put in charge of following a certain case. He had lead the investigation and put the perpetrator away. But later on, he began to have his doubts and he never expected one case from so long ago to serve as a connection to his own personal life in the present.

"Night, Inspector!" someone called as Richardson made his way out the door.

"Yup, sure," he grunted in response.

Yes.

Inspector Richardson had one objective in mind. That was to use his new, transfer position with the San Francisco PD to get to the bottom of what he knew.

**ooooo **

It was late.

Prue noted it was past eleven pm as she turned to look at the small clock on the nightstand beside the bed. Everyone was settled in for the night. Phoebe had gone back to her apartment with Coop, Paige was staying at the manor and borrowing Piper's room until the quest to get Henry home was over and done with, and the kids were fast asleep from some time ago. Billie had reclaimed Phoebe's old bedroom so Prue was pretty certain that she, too, was most likely sleeping but her thoughts remained glued to Billie.

Slowly, she rolled back over and nestled closely against Andy in his arms. Both were still feeling restless over the sudden events that had come to pass, mainly both his and Piper's return. Due to their overly excited states, they were finding it difficult to get any amount of decent sleep.

Prue released a heavy sigh of frustration. Then, Andy bent down leaving a light kiss on the top of her head. "What's wrong?" he asked gently. He knew how to read her. And with a sigh like that, clearly something was on her mind.

"Everything," she cracked, with a light smile in place. Then, her voice turned serious. "But what about Leo? I know we've been careful with what we say around the kids. But I just don't understand why he's being punished for trying to do the right thing."

Andy thought carefully before responding. He sighed. "I really don't know. I guess rules are just rules no matter how you cut it."

"Still," Prue objected. She thought about it some more. "Okay, so maybe he's been known to bend a few rules here and there. But who hasn't? It was always for the greater good. I mean, in all the time I knew him, that's all he ever tried to do."

"Uh-huh," Andy muttered as he listened to her vent.

"And then there's Piper. And the boys. What are they supposed to do?" she questioned.

Andy opted to try and offer some reassurance. "Hey. I'm sure it'll all work itself out. Just look at us. We thought it would be hopeless. If there was a miracle out there for us, then there's got to be one out in the wood works for them too."

Prue remained silent as she absorbed his positive words of reinforcement.

However, with her body so close to his, Andy could still feel how physically tense she felt. He interpreted this, along with the silence that continued to surround them, to mean that something else was still bothering her. "Are you sure that's all that's bothering you?" he prodded.

Some more silence ensued until Prue broke. "No," she finally admitted. "But I think it should wait til' morning."

"Okay. Nothing bad, I hope?" he gently inquired.

"No. Not bad but important," she added before turning back around, reaching over for the switch to turn off the night lamp beside the small clock. She remained on that side, with her back facing towards Andy. "Good night," she threw back out at him.

Andy felt a small sense of rejection at the sudden cold shoulder. As a bewildered expression crossed his face, his thoughts went to different places and raced ahead of him. What would cause her to act like that, he wondered. And what was so important that it needed to wait until tomorrow? But those were his final questions to himself before allowing himself to drift off into his own sleep.

**ooooo**

Billie couldn't sleep. Not with that anxious feeling of butterflies and the fluttering effect that had taken root, once again, dancing around inside the pit of her stomach. The events of the entire day left her feeling wide awake with nothing constructive to do and with no conceivable way of falling asleep to get some much needed rest.

In the attic, she sat on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her and in a distracted manner, she flipped through the Book of Shadows thinking about what Andy's reappearance in all their lives would now mean. She had only begun to get used to Prue and the idea of one day having some type of mother-daughter relationship with her. But now she was going to have to deal with the truth being revealed all over again. It gave her that same unsettling feeling because she had no idea how this man, a virtual stranger to her, would react to the truth. Especially, since it came to pass that he was never even aware that Prue had their baby to begin with and then gave it up. Granted, things were pushed along in that direction with some extreme coaxing by 'Grams' but that knowledge didn't make the situation any less nerve-wracking for her.

Billie was pulled from her reflective state by the sight of orbs. Instinctively, she lept from the couch as the blanket fell to the floor.

"JD?" she hissed in a whisper. "What are you doing here? It's late." However, she immediately caught sight of the presence of another with him. It made her blood run cold.

The two women were now engaging in a staring contest.

"Why is SHE here?" Billie demanded to know. She turned on the whitelighter. "JD, how could you bring her here like this? Get her out of here now!"

Sensing where Billie was going, he quickly put up his hands and interjected. "Billie, wait. Please! It's not what you think. We ran into some trouble tracking down information on Lana's background. But we had another idea. One that might help everyone out. Including Lana," he proposed.

Billie anxiously turned around to look at the attic door entrance. What if someone walked in and found them in here?

"NO! JD, you have to leave. One of them could come in here at anytime."

"It's almost midnight," JD objected.

"So?" Billie argued. "That doesn't mean anything around here!" she cracked. She sighed, her frustration mounting. "Look, I already feel like the biggest hypocrite keeping Lana a secret from them to buy you some time. But I'm going to have to tell them. And soon."

Lana stepped forward. "But they would kill me!" she protested haughtily.

"And you would deserve it!" Billie threw back at her with attitude. "You're nothing but a demon impostor. A fake and to be quite honest, I really don't give a damn what happens to you!"

Lana glared and JD intervened. "Billie?"

"What?" she turned on him. "JD, you can't keep her here, okay? Even if my mother or one of her sisters didn't walk in, this place is still like demon central. And she would be like a personal calling card for them," she pointed out to him.

"But that's why we're here," he interjected. "We were wondering, possibly, about a power-stripping potion? One that could take Lana's powers away for good. That way the Triad wouldn't be able to track her and she wouldn't pose a threat to any of you anymore," he proposed. "And she could continue with the search for her mortal family."

Billie took a moment to think about that proposal. It was an option. But, where would she find a power-stripping potion for someone who was half-Triad?

"I don't know," she conceded.

"Billie, please?" JD begged. "It's the best we have to go with right now."

JD's face was pleading while Lana stared at her with a blank expression, awaiting Billie's final decision. She looked back and forth between the two. After closing her eyes, she released a very heavy sigh. Then, reopening them to stare pointedly at JD first, she then studied the two of them once again. Until, finally, her total focus came to rest solely on JD for the last time. Her mind carried one thought only.

_I'm gonna' be so dead!_

"Fine."

* * *

**To Be Continued: **Okay, so that's the end of this chapter. And I really did my best not to allow the current situation to effect my writing. So, I apologize if it didn't come across as one of my best. I'm going to try and recollect myself before digging into the next one. Because, lol, all I was thinking about while writing this chapter was how the title for my chapter, ironically, applies to the issue at hand. I had already come up with it and was working on the chapter when the problem was brought to my attention.

**Coming Up: **Piper comes to terms with the way things are, the fate of Leo and the other Elders is determined, Billie's identity is revealed to Andy, and the sisters make a horrifying discovery. So, please **Stay Tuned**. I will be back.


	30. Skeletons Out of the Closet

Wow. I would like to thank everyone for the reviews. That's the most I've had after posting one chapter, **lol. **And I'm really happy that my story is attracting other readers. So I do hope that everyone continues to enjoy this story, old and new readers alike. I try my best.

**Queen Of Gabb 488**, **AlyssaP3**, **PrUe AnD AnDy**, **CSM**, **-0-charmed-freak-0-**,** du1387**, **charmed1979**, **Ciphets, **and **Babes**.

Now on with some responses:

**Queen Of Gabb: **lol, I'm definitely familiar with computer problems. But I'm really glad you were able to catch up with the story. Thanks for your words of encouragement. **:o)**

**AlyssaP3: lol ...**

Uh, yeah. Coincidence my you know what! **lol. **I mean, I wasn't exactly born yesterday, if you know what I mean? **;o)**

Okay, first thing that caught my attention in your reply and made me chuckle:

**"hope the same for Leo, who by the way i****think shouldn't even get a quarter of what the elders got besides wasn't Leo ****not really an elder just had the powers cos of magic school? can't that count ****for something? i hope so :D"**

After reading this, I thought, hey? Maybe I should have had you defend Leo before the Afterlife Council instead of Coop (wink)? **Lol. **

On a more serious note, yes, you are partially correct. Leo's role as an Elder is only delegated to running the Magic School. That's why he was given his powers back (good attention/memory to detail, btw, that was introduced near the beginning of the story).** :o)**

Here comes the "but" (lol).

Leo is still _technically_ an Elder. It's just that his duty is unique, in the sense that he isn't required to perform all the other duties that the other Elders do. And his mortality hasn't been affected by it which means he will age like a mortal. However, as a functioning Elder, he would still be bound by following the same universal codes/guidelines.

But we will see. It is an interesting loop hole/argument, in Leo's favor, that you have presented. However, I do have a twist I'm putting on it that deals with his former "mortal" state. And you may find it similar to what you've pointed out. A "technicality" in his favor. **;o)**

Also, glad you like the other lighter moments. I'll continue to try and stick them in there when the opportunities present themselves in my story. Even though the story is alot of drama, it is good to have some of those moments in there as well.

**PrUe AnD AnDy: **lol, your response made me laugh. Thanks. I really did need it this past chapter.

**CMS: **Hey, welcome. So happy you're liking this story. **lol. **And, yes, this story will continue to unfold and reveal alot as you continue to read. So, no worries, all your questions should most likely be answered at some point.

**..: **Thanks for the positive feedback. Hopefully, there won't be anymore problems in the future.

**;o) **Most of what you are expecting should be coming up shortly.

**-0-charmed-freak-0-: **Thanks. Happy you're still reading and enjoying.

**du1387: **Hey! Thanks for reading. And welcome on-board with the others. I'm happy to hear you found it worth your time. Hopefully, you'll stick around. There's alot more to go, **lol. **

**charmed1979: **There you are! **lol ... **

Kidding. I know life can get busy. You can just review whenever you get the chance. Good analysis on the last chapter. I am definitely trying to bring some of loose ends together because they do tie into some of the new stuff being introduced down the road.

**;o) **And things are doing better. Thanks. Hope it stays that way! **lol **

**Ciphets: **Hey there. Uh, yes. As a matter of fact, the next/new chapter should be coming up right about now. Is that soon enough for you? **lol ...**

Kidding, lol. Not about the next chapter of course. But glad that you've stopped in and decided to give my story a chance. I hope that you'll continue to like where it's going.

**Babes: **Welcome! Glad you like, hehe.

Okay, quick comment ...

I'd like to thank **I'll Be Watching You Drown **for inspiring the next chapter title. Their comment made in their review reply from **Chapter 28 **just fit perfectly for what I plan to do with this chapter and I was able to put a spin on it. **hehe ...**

* * *

**Chapter 29: Skeletons Out of the Closet**

Leo stared across the way at the men sitting directly across from him.

He was trying hard to keep his composure. But deep down, he still feared the possibility of never being able to see his wife or children again. As a former White-lighter and Elder from the past, he was well aware of some of the more serious consequences for breaking the rules.

Soul reincarnation was one avenue. Any immortal beings that are granted special placement in positions to help maintain the order of the immortal realm, are initially allowed to keep their former identities - the same identities they once possessed during their mortal lifetime. However, if an immortal position is stripped away due to an inherent violation, that person risked having their soul recycled back into the mortal realm. This would mean a new identity as a new person and a blocked memory from anybody they once knew from the life that came before.

Another possible consequence was for the soul to still remain somewhere within the immortal realms. They would not be subjected to the physical reincarnation process; however, they would be stripped from all contact pertaining to the mortal realm. Granted, soul reincarnation and soul placement in the immortal realm was a common, supernatural occurrence for all beings but it could serve as a form of punishment to those already granted the special privilege of serving in the immortal realm with their mortal memories kept intact.

"AS WE HAVE STATED BEFORE, THIS COUNCIL IS DEEPLY DISTURBED BY THE ACTIONS OF BOTH PARTIES" a voice rang out into the open atmosphere.

"AND WE WOULD FIRST LIKE TO CALL FORTH THE PARTIES RESPONSIBLE FOR INTERFERING WITH THE COMING OF AN ANCIENT PROPHECY PERTAINING TO THE ULTIMATE POWER!" they declared together.

Phalmis, Ramar, and Xenus looked to each other nervously before glancing in Emeritus' direction. Emeritus didn't even bother to acknowledge their looks with one of his own. Instead, he sat staring straight ahead and then slowly arose to his feet until he was standing completely upright. The other Elders followed his lead.

"We beg the Council to show some mercy?" Emeritus began in their defense. "At the time, we were only operating under what we believed was for the greater good."

"Gideon was the head of the Council during that time," Phalmis spoke up after Emeritus. "He believed this power to be dangerous and a grave threat to the greater good."

"Evil has been seeking it out for some time," volunteered Ramar.

"THAT MAY ALL VERY WELL BE TRUE!" the voices replied in unison. "BUT HOW DO THE ELDERS IN QUESTION JUSTIFY HIDING THIS PROPHECY FROM THE GREATER GOOD?" they questioned.

"If by the greater good, you mean the Charmed Ones, then we have ample reason to justify it. The prophecy was given to Melinda Warren through her gift of premonition in the 1600s. The Charmed Ones were not destined to exist until centuries later. It was too dangerous to allow the incantation to remain in the Book and be made available to any evil that got its hands on it!" argued Emeritus.

"BUT THE BOOK POSSESSES THE ABILITY TO PROTECT ITSELF FROM EVIL, DOES IT NOT?" one of the voices challenged.

"Yes. But even the sisters, themselves, pose a risk," Emeritus defended. "Evil has been provided with chances and has been successful in acquiring both the Power of Three and the Book of Shadows during their time as the Charmed Ones. So, we feel our concerns from the past were justified. We couldn't allow that same risk to apply to the Ultimate Power in the past, present, or future!"

"But the sisters have prevailed against all that," Leo suddenly argued back in the Charmed Ones defense. He immediately stood to his feet. "The Power of Three and the Book were put at risk a few times but they've always succeeded in vanquishing the evil behind it!"

"That's irrelevant!" Emeritus countered. "The Ultimate Power is far more dangerous. It can't be allowed to pass into the hands of evil. Not ever. Not even once. And the past has shown that the sisters have the tendency to be lax and allow evil to infiltrate their power base."

"So what? Evil has challenged them on occasion. Big deal. What matters is they overcame it. Besides, this isn't about the sisters' ability to handle the power," Leo spat back. "This is about your accountability in interfering with something you had no business interfering with!"

Until this moment, Leo had been sitting quietly to the side, listening with great interest to the new revelation. This was the first time he was hearing about an original prophecy that predicted the coming of an Ultimate Power. The only prophecy that he had been aware of and that existed in the Book of Shadows, was the Charmed prophecy that predicted the coming of the three Charmed sisters, a Power of Three, and how they'd be the most powerful witches the world had ever seen. However, this revelation did shine some new light on the confusion surrounding Paige's sudden emergence over five years ago. Apparently, it now seemed that four sisters were somehow predicted to exist after all.

Amazingly, for the first time, the Afterlife Council had permitted the exchange between Leo and the other Elders to go down without interfering to break it up. However, when silence ensued and Emeritus did not respond back to Leo's allegation, the Afterlife Council did break in with a question of their own.

"EMERITUS?" one voice interjected. "HOW IS IT THAT EVIL CAME TO BE AWARE OF THIS POWER TO BEGIN WITH?"

"YES," a second voice followed. "THE BOOK OF SHADOWS HAS BEEN GUARDED AGAINST EVIL SINCE ITS INCEPTION - DESPITE SOME OF THESE ATTEMPTS MADE BY EVIL TO THWART IT. THE DESTINED LINE OF WARREN WITCHES WOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONLY ONES WITH DIRECT ACCESS TO THE BOOK AND NO EVIL SEEKING THE BOOK OUT HAS EVER ACQUIRED THE ULTIMATE POWER BASE IN SPITE OF THE CLAIMS THAT IT HAS BEEN SEEKING IT OUT."

"CORRECT," the first voice continued. "AND SINCE YOU HAD THE PROPHECY REMOVED, IT SIGNALS TO US THAT EVIL HAD TO FIND OUT ANOTHER WAY."

All of the Elders swallowed nervously. It was the part of the story that none of them wanted to be forced to address - the Avatar. In truth, they only knew what Gideon had relayed back to them but they all realized they would still be held accountable for their participation.

Emeritus cast his look downwards. "We don't know," he lied.

Leo narrowed his eyes and observed the suspicious body language of all four Elders. Emeritus was lying. He could definitely tell that they were all hiding something big.

"How can you not know?" Leo countered back at Emeritus. "You were the ones that stole the incantation in the first place. Which means you have to know where it is!"

"WE DON'T!" Emeritus rose his voice and shot his head up in Leo's direction. The Elder was staring Leo down in a very hard manner. "Gideon dealt with the matter himself. Not us. We only knew what we were told!"

Leo didn't believe him. "Right. How convenient!" he mocked Emeritus.

"THE COUNCIL WILL NOW CALL ORDER!" the voices rang out together. "WE HAVE HEARD WHAT WE NEEDED TO REGARDING THIS MATTER. NOW, WE SHALL TURN OVER TO ADDRESSING THE ACTIONS OF THE OTHER ELDER IN QUESTION. LEO WYATT."

A brief moment of silence passed as Leo cast one of his own hard looks in Emeritus' direction and then resumed to sitting back down in his chair.

**ooooo**

It was another bright, sunny, California day at Golden Gate Park and the light breeze felt in the air could also be seen through the gently swaying tree tops moving back and forth.

A smile crossed Prue's face as she watched all the young children running back and forth in the playground, smiling or laughing with each other. And in the distance, she could also make out Molly and Wyatt ascending the stairs to the small slide located in the middle of the playground. Clearly, they were having a good time together. Then, off to the left, Andy was helping to assist young Chris in the baby swing. It was obvious to Prue that the little guy would soon outgrow those particular swings. After all, he would turn three this year.

While sitting on the park bench, her smile slowly faded and her thoughts turned to the real reason they were all here today. Prue had broken the news, in the morning, to both Phoebe and Paige that she intended to tell Andy the truth about Billie today. Both sisters were left back at the manor working on advanced potion mixes to help take out the scatter demons in order to rescue Henry. But they had insisted that she take the time she needed and to spend the day with Andy. She felt guilty for Paige's sake because the more they worked together, the better chance they had at finding and bringing Henry home quicker. And safer.

Prue watched as Andy lifted Chris out of the swing and brought him back down to the ground. His little feet swiftly carried him across the playground and into the small sandbox. Prue had volunteered to take all the kids for this playground excursion so the others wouldn't be distracted. Phoebe and Paige had allowed them to take both cars so that everyone could make the trip. That and Prue also picked the park as the place to break ground with the Billie revelation. She needed the peaceful and soothing atmosphere to remain calm instead of anxious.

Andy walked back over to the bench to sit down.

"Okay. What's that frown for?" he tried to joke. He smiled and then sat down beside her. "I didn't wake up this morning and dress myself that bad, did I?" He laughed.

"Uh, isn't that on loan from Coop?" Prue cracked, making reference to his attire. A grin broke out on her face and it helped to break the ice a bit.

Andy smirked. "Right. Point taken. There's definitely alot we need to do to get our lives back on track." Then, he turned serious. "I know you've told me there's alot going on but I was thinking about looking into my old job back at the precinct. If not there, then somewhere else. And then we'll have to decide what we want to do about living arrangements?"

Prue sighed wearily. "Andy, look, I do know it's a bit crowded and everything but I really can't afford to leave the manor right now," she objected.

"Crowded?" Andy countered. "Prue, that's a bit of an understatement. You've got Piper's bedroom and then Piper's kids that are using one of the bedrooms - the smallest one found in the Manor. And she has another one on the way. There's your old room we're using and then there's that other young girl I met using the last one."

Prue closed her eyes and nodded her head. "Billie!" she corrected.

"Right, Billie. So unless she plans on leaving anytime soon, I really have no idea where you expect Molly and the new baby to go!" Andy logically pointed out to her.

Prue stared straight ahead. _Well, I guess it's now or never, _she told herself.

"Actually, I think that Piper and Leo might need us to stick around and help for a little while. With some of the extra expenses around the house. Which means, I'm going to have to start pushing to find a job myself. There's Piper's medical expenses. Their medical insurance only covered the life support for the first month. Leo wasn't around and we couldn't afford to cover the other costs. The hospital just recently sued for the concurring costs to ensure payment and the courts went ahead and issued a judgment for all that. Now, the house has a lien placed against it. The club's gone. And that means Piper doesn't have that source of income to rely on anymore. The insurance claim is being held up because that Inspector assigned to the case is alleging fraud ... "

Prue rambled on about all the problems they were facing. She couldn't help it.

Andy placed a hand against her back. "Okay. I get it. I really do," he offered to calm her down. "So, we put off moving for a bit," he conceded before another smirk passed over his face. "And, hey, if worse comes to worse we can always give the kids the attic or the basement, right? And then we can take the roof!" he joked.

Prue released a small laugh and Andy laughed with her. They both turned in the direction of the kids to keep an eye on them. Wyatt and Molly had now joined Chris in the sandbox. Andy took a deep breath and then crossed his arms. Without looking back at her, he asked her the much dreaded question.

"So? Was there anything else you needed to get off your chest? You seemed a little distant last night. What was so important that it needed to wait?" After asking the question, he turned to look at her.

Prue remained silent for a few seconds before attempting to explain. She looked around and then released a deep breath. "Uh, yeah, actually there is," she admitted. "I, uh, found out something. After I got back. And while you were gone." She turned to look at him after speaking.

Andy nodded his head. "Okay," he pushed, urging her on.

Prue looked down at her cuticles and began picking at them. Then she closed her eyes, gently shaking her head back and forth. "Oh god, please don't hate me for this," she muttered out into the open, almost underneath her breath but not quite enough.

Andy caught what she had said and instantly placed his hands over hers to halt her own nervous attack against her cuticles. "Prue? Whatever it is, just come out and say it," he instructed gently. "You're starting to make me wanna' pick too," he teased.

Prue gathered up all her courage. "It's about the girl staying at the manor. Billie?"

"Okay. What about her?"

Andy contemplated her words. Honestly, he was feeling rather confused and didn't understand where this was going or why it would make Prue feel on edge. But that was until the next three words had passed through her lips. Because these particular words were the last words he ever expected to hear in a million years.

"She's our daughter."

**ooooo **

Lana followed closely behind Billie and JD up the small steps. When she read the small, white lettering found above the door, she immediately froze in her tracks.

"A woman's shelter?" she questioned with abhorrent disgust. "Forget it! I'm outta' here," she declared as she turned around making her way back down to the sidewalk.

Both Billie and JD turned around on their heels, racing back down the steps. Lana was a few feet ahead of them on the sidewalk and they ran to catch up with her. Billie stepped to one side of her while JD walked on the other.

"Uh, where exactly do you think you're going to go?" Billie demanded. "Back to that run-down shack in the woods JD was telling me about? Because if my vote counts, which I highly doubt it does with you," she cracked when thinking about it on second thought. "But I, for one, find that to be a very bad idea!"

Lana stopped walking and turned on Billie. "It's ten times better then wasting my time playing house with a bunch of washed-up, crack whores that have nothing better to do than sit around on their butts with a string of whiny brats attached to their sides. No thank you, I pass!"

She resumed walking.

"Whoa, hold up," Billie announced from behind her. She didn't even bother to keep pace with her this time, instead, opting to keep a comfortable distance behind her. "For your information, those crack whores as you so eloquently put it, are not crack whores at all. They just so happen to be real people with real problems who could use a little help. Just like you. So how about you stop acting like one of those little _whiny brats _you claim you can't stand," she stressed, "and stop with the complaining already. Take the help."

"Lana," JD interjected. "The old shack in the woods isn't a good idea. You said yourself that Dumain kept you there when you were younger. What if other demons know about that place? It could be one of the first places they try to look for you," he reasoned.

Lana stopped walking again. However, she didn't turn around to face them. "I've been staying there since I left the Underworld and I've been fine!" she stubbornly insisted. "They're not going to find me there!"

"That doesn't mean they won't!" Billie countered. "Look, it's just temporary anyway. Just to buy us a little time so JD and I can search." Billie paused and crossed her arms. "Hey, just consider it practice for when you meet your mortal family. Because you can really use some work and some pointers on what it really means to be _human_!"

Lana narrowed her eyes in response to Billie's dig before turning around to face them.

"Lana, all you have to do is keep to yourself and abide by the rules of the shelter," JD pointed out. "That's it. And no powers," he lowered his voice, remembering that there were passersby coming and going on the sidewalk. "They'd definitely be able to track and then find you that way," he reminded her.

"I'm not stupid!" she protested back. "I know all that. But how do I even know for sure that there's anybody out there to find? For all I know, they're as good as dead."

Billie and JD glanced to one other.

"Well, that's what we're going to try and found out," JD spoke up. "And Billie's going to try and work on finding a way to make you completely mortal. And then you won't have to worry about those powers anymore."

Lana glared between the both of them. Finally, she uncrossed her arms and sighed heavily - an indicator that she was deciding to give in.

"Fine. Whatever," she relented, walking back down the sidewalk in the direction of the shelter.

Billie rolled her eyes after she passed by her and then she turned to share a look with JD again. JD just shrugged his shoulders in response and both of them followed behind Lana.

In the distance, a figure hidden in the shadows watched very intently. His focus was on the young woman with the golden shade of hair and the stubborn nature. He watched as she strode up the steps and into the building, the other two following closely behind her. He continued to watch until they all disappeared from sight.

_Soon. He would make his move soon._

**ooooo **

He was shocked.

No, actually, shock didn't begin to cover what he was feeling at the moment. Because while he had heard the words, he couldn't accept that he had heard them right. Without much thought put into it, he repeated the words she had spoken merely seconds before.

"She's our daughter?" Andy repeated slowly.

Prue observed him carefully before responding and reaffirming what she had already taken the initiative to reveal. Did he even believe her?

"That's what I said," she replied softly.

Andy stared at her before breaking into a small fit of laughter. If it wasn't clear before, it was definitely clear now. He wasn't taking the revelation seriously.

Prue sighed, closing her eyes. "Andy, don't laugh. It isn't funny!"

Almost immediately, Andy's laughter had ceased after taking note of her serious expression. The laughter faded into a smile until the smile disappeared altogether. It was now clear to him that she wasn't joking around at all.

"What? Are you serious?" came his inevitable reaction.

Prue threw her face down into her hands, releasing a groan of frustration. She really hated that she was now in a position to have to explain all this. Albeit, acknowledging that it was partially her own fault for not telling him way back when. Even though she couldn't remember any of it. But she had heard the explanation for that from her sisters. Apparently, Grams had taken it upon herself to cast a spell and wipe her clean of that particular memory. So, after looking back up, she attempted to give an explanation to his inquiry.

"Yes. I'm serious. Why would I make something like that up?"

Andy carried an expression of shock that was written all over his face. The confusion was overtaking him in waves as he tried to piece the truth together in his mind. Prue had never come to him about being pregnant. The only other time they had dated was in high school. A million questions began to race around in his mind.

"I don't understand," he finally spoke out, his tone laced together with what sounded like hurt that she would have kept something like that a secret. "When?"

Prue felt some guilt overtake her. "High school," she admitted solemnly. "I think it was during my senior year. When you went off to college."

"You think?" he spat back.

Prue visibly flinched a bit at the tone and Andy momentarily regretted that it came out as harsh as it sounded. But he couldn't help it because the shock was slowly turning to hurt. Which, in turn, was turning into anger.

"Uh, yeah. That's the other part of the story. I don't remember any of it. I don't remember being pregnant and I don't remember having her. And I don't remember giving her away either," her voice drifted into a tone that was barely audible.

Andy huffed. He crossed his arms in a defensive manner.

"You don't remember?" he taunted. "Prue? I really think it's a little late to be pulling the _I can't remember _card out of the deck!" he replied in a sarcastic fashion. "Don't you? Because, the way my memory serves me, the Elders stepped in some time back and changed all that. So please explain to me again how it is you don't remember having a baby and then throwing her away to complete strangers?" he accused.

Prue became defensive.

"Okay, first off, she wasn't thrown away to complete strangers. And me not remembering has nothing to do with the Elders, okay? Grams cast a spell. I guess it was supposed to serve like a memory blocker because she wanted to protect our future as the Charmed Ones."

Andy laughed sardonically. "Grams," he repeated. "Right, Grams. Ya know, I always did love that woman?" he mocked. "And ya gotta' admire a woman that knows how to get exactly what she wants," he spat.

Prue sighed. "Andy stop!"

"Stop what Prue?" he countered in an angry fashion. Then, closing his eyes, he took a few deep breaths to help calm himself down before continuing. "Even if what you're telling me is true, all that means is you don't remember now. But what about back then, you had what? A whole nine months to come clean with me? You never did. I doubt your grandmother cast any spell before a baby was actually born. Which means, no surprise here," he shook his head, "we're right back at square one."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Prue challenged.

"It means what it always means. Your disregard and inability to be upfront about everything," he argued. "Or to put your trust into this relationship. Just like in the same way you couldn't even come clean with me about what and who you were over eight years ago. After we met back up and started seeing each other again? You had to use some truth spell to get it out?"

"Exactly, and if I remember correctly, you weren't too happy with the truth," she countered back, in regards to their past. Apparently, this Billie revelation was now opening up a whole other can of worms that spread into every area of their past relationship. "So please tell me what exactly I was suppose to put my trust in?"

"ME!" he exclaimed. "All I needed was some time and space from you. I would have come around eventually."

"Oh. Now would you have?" Prue mocked back, nodding her head. "Because, right now, I'm thinking back to a time standing in Buckland's, listening to you justify wanting a normal life to come home to one day. Something that I just wasn't going to be equipped to give you, remember?"

"Okay, that's twisting it," he defended, before realizing this argument had gone way off course.

"Really? What exactly did I get wrong?" she argued in response.

Andy brought his balled fist up to his forehead. "Look, can we not do this?" he pleaded, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth against the oncoming migraine. "This really isn't getting us anywhere. I have a pounding headache and just can't deal with all this right now."

Prue shook her head and threw herself back against the bench. "Fine."

Andy was far from okay with everything but he needed to separate himself from it for the time being. Before one or both of them said something they would regret later on. Both of them observed Molly and Wyatt heading in their direction with Chris not too far behind.

"Didn't you say you were going to try and see Piper after this?" he questioned. The question was void of any sincere interest attached to it and it sounded stiff, like an excuse to find a way to be alone.

Prue glanced at him. "Yeah. Why?"

Andy stood up as Molly came charging at him. "Go ahead," he announced. "I'll take the kids back to the house." He plastered a grin on his face for show as he scooped Molly up and turned her upside down. She started giggling.

"Mommy, look at me?" she announced. Her strands of longer blond hair were all flowing in the direction of the ground. She continued to laugh.

Prue smiled back at her.

Wyatt jumped up and down excitedly, a smile across his face. "My turn, my turn!"

"Your turn?" Andy played along with him. "Alright, come here," he beckoned playfully as he put Molly down and grabbed for him. Wyatt was turned upside down. And Chris, wanting to get in on some of the action, used his small hand to playfully swat his brother. He giggled.

After noticing that she was still standing there, he brought his gaze back up to meet hers.

"We'll talk about it some more later," he told Prue.

Prue broke the stare and reached for her purse on the bench. "Right," she mumbled.

Then, she turned herself around and started walking down the long path in the direction that would lead her to the parking lot and Paige's car.

**ooooo **

Phoebe threw the remaining ingredient into the huge pot.

The result was a loud exploding sound and an array of smoke that filtered into the faces of both Phoebe and Paige.

"Phew! Talk about your need to spice things up?" cracked Paige, as she and Phoebe both waved the heavy smoke away from their faces.

"Yeah, well, that potion better spice things up," mocked Phoebe. "At least for Henry's sake."

Both women had been at work for hours in the attic, trying to come up with the right amount of potion ingredients to work on the scatter demons. And it had been an exhausting, daunting task. Either the potions tested too weak or too strong. The strong part wouldn't have phased the sisters too much if they weren't worried about Henry being there along with the demons. Because as far as the sisters were concerned, letting the too intense potion take those demons out along with a few miles of their underground dwelling would be no problem. But since they were fooling around with the original potion mix, they didn't want to risk something happening to Henry in the process.

"So. How do you think that little chat is going?" Paige piped in, making reference to Prue telling Andy the truth regarding Billie. "Should we be expecting an explosion of the marital kind to walk through that downstairs door anytime soon?"

"Eh. If it didn't go well, I'm sure Prue will just suck it up and try to pretend everything's fine. And then Andy will give some song and dance about Prue keeping secrets and her trust issues," she answered her baby sister in a distracted manner. "And then, comes the explosion - followed, hopefully, by the make-up sex. Believe me, you'll get use to it fast." Phoebe gave a slight roll of her eyes.

"Oh. Lovely," Paige remarked, rolling her own eyes.

At the same moment, they were interrupted by Billie, who waltzed into the attic unexpectedly.

"Hey you," announced Phoebe. "What'cha up to?"

"Yeah, it's a Saturday. You're young. You're single. And you should be living it up somewhere," Paige teased in good humor.

Billie approached the table with a smirk spread across her face. "Uh, right. And where would that be, down at Witches'R'Us? Let me know when the party starts and I'll be there," she joked right back. "So, need any help?" she asked them out of the blue.

"Sure. Pull up a chair," answered Paige.

Phoebe pushed some of the potion vials over in Billie's direction.

"Wow," Billie announced, lifting a vial into the air and looking through it. "You really think you're going to need all of these?"

"Oh yes," Phoebe over-enunciated. "I'm really beginning to think it's by no accident that they're called scatter demons," she cracked. "These things are scattered. EVERYWHERE!"

Both Paige and Billie shared a laugh together.

Phoebe glanced at them and grinned. "Seriously. How many of them can there be?"

Billie began scooping up the potion into the vials and placed them together on a soft cloth that was spread across the table. This served to help prevent the vials from rolling off and breaking. Carefully, Billie contemplated the best way to break into the subject she needed to because she was sure it would most likely be a sore spot for her aunt.

"Hey, Phoebe?" she began tentatively, catching Phoebe's attention. A small silence continued.

"Yeah, what is it sweetie?" Phoebe pushed.

She looked up and directly into her niece's eyes. Billie also had grabbed Paige's attention too, who looked at her right about the same time as Phoebe.

Billie sighed. "I was just wondering about something," she questioned, while continuing to place the vials against the cloth material. "From before. You were really in love with that Cole guy, weren't you? The one that turned out to be a demon?"

Phoebe froze. Of all the topics for Billie to bring up, she hadn't even been close in expecting that to be anywhere near the realm of possibility nor top of the list. She had made a conscious decision to close the book on that chapter of her life a long time ago. Besides, she had Coop now. She was happy and there was absolutely no point in dragging up the past when it couldn't be changed.

Paige cast a questioning look in Phoebe's direction.

"Why the sudden interest?" Phoebe tried to regain her composure. "Cole's gone, Billie. All of that doesn't matter anymore."

"Oh no. I know. And I'm not trying to bring up any bad memories or anything. It's just," Billie paused. "I kind of remember you bringing him up last year? Back when I thought I was helping Christy and you guys went after the Triad?"

"Yeah?" Phoebe was now throwing her the same questioning look as Paige.

"Well, you said something about him being able to take the Triad out because he was a powerful demon. Probably just like them. And I was just wondering if he was ever willing to give up his demon life so that he could be with you?"

A part of Billie cringed inside. She hated not being completely upfront with them, especially after what had happened last year. But she had promised JD that she would keep the secret until he at least tried to fulfill his promise to Lana and this was the best route to try and go to make sure everyone would be safe.

"Billie? Why the sudden interest in Cole?" Paige asked her niece point blank, repeating her sister's question from seconds before. She and Phoebe shared another look.

"Oh, well, when I was skimming through the Book of Shadows the other night I just happened to come across Belthazor. His demon form. And I was just thinking about whether or not there was someway he could have remained human? Like if he really wanted to," she quickly covered. "Could he have gotten rid of his demon powers or was he stuck with them forever?"

Phoebe looked down and released a deep breath. Then she attempted to answer the best she could. "Billie, Cole made his choice. And it wasn't the right one. At least, not for us. But we did come up with a stripping potion for him, if that's what you mean? To take away his powers. Unfortunately, there's no real way for us to know if it ever really would have worked permanently because Cole gave into his darker nature," Phoebe pointed out.

"Cole became the Source," Paige volunteered.

"The Source?" Billie questioned, wondering what exactly that was. She read up on what she could from the Book but she still didn't completely understand the concept.

"Yup, the Source of All Evil," Paige clarified while Phoebe kept silent - allowing her sister to do most of the explaining on this particular subject. "He tried to conquer, we destroyed. Cole even came back again after that and the end still wasn't pretty."

"Oh."

_Damn, _thought Billie. That information hadn't been as useful as she would have hoped. The only other resort was to try and find Lana's family and then come completely clean with the sisters right after that. Maybe they could come up with a way to at least bind Lana's demonic powers? But this was probably going to do wonders for her new-found, fragile relationship with her mother and with her aunts, she thought snidely.

_JD so owes me big time!_

She continued with the current task at hand, remaining completely silent, and not bothering to bring up anymore on the subject matter. Phoebe and Paige did the same thing.

**ooooo**

Prue brought herself up to the hospital's fifth floor like she had done a day ago. Only this time, she was alone, and not with her sisters or Billie.

After getting off the elevator, she glanced in the direction of the reception desk and took note that it was completely empty. Looking around, she swiftly turned and headed in the opposite direction down the long corridor. She wasn't in the mood to go through what she and her sisters had gone through while they were here before. Besides, she would just take her chances and look into the rooms as she passed down the hall. Piper had to be in one of them.

Prue passed by several rooms, both with open and closed doors. Of course, there was always the chance that Piper was lying in one of the rooms with the closed doors but she still peered into the open rooms to try and catch a glimpse anyway. Then, when she finally reached the last room, she got lucky. The door was opened wide and Prue immediately caught sight of her sister.

Piper sat in a wheelchair that was positioned near the window. She was resting her chin against the palm of her hand, while staring out over the vast city. She appeared to be in deep, contemplative thought and had no idea that Prue was standing a couple feet outside her door watching her. However, that was only until she heard the gentle knocking that pulled her out of her daydreaming.

"Prue?" she questioned, shocked by her sister's sudden appearance.

"Hey there." Prue issued her a faint smile as she took tentative steps forward into the room.

Piper quickly turned away, embarrassed by her own appearance. Subconsciously, she immediately ran her hand over the top of her head.

"What are you doing here?" Piper pleaded. "You shouldn't have come."

Ignoring her sister's protests, Prue pulled a chair over and positioned it so she was sitting directly in front of her. She sat there for a moment without saying anything but Piper still refused to turn and look at her.

"Honey, look at me?" Prue pleaded gently. "There's nothing wrong with you," she tried to offer reassurance. "At least, nothing that a little magic can't fix?" she tried to throw in a little bit of humor. She reached out to grab her sister's hands with her own.

However, there was still no response. Prue released a heavy sigh at her in these vain attempts to get her sister to communicate. Gently, she released her hands and went for her purse. After opening it up, she pulled out a few folded pieces of construction paper.

"Here," Prue tried all over again. "The blue one is from Wyatt," she attempted to hand it over to Piper and smiled while doing so.

Piper turned and looked down at the piece of paper that was being extended to her. Slowly, she reached out to grab a hold of it. When she had it, she opened it to reveal a rather colorful display in the form of a get well card. The stick figures indicated to her that Wyatt had attempted to draw his family members. A small smile broke out across her lips.

After taking note of the positive reaction, Prue decided to reach out with the next one. "And the orange one is from Chris. As you can clearly see," Prue laughed a little.

Piper took note of the scribble that was clearly made by Chris and it made her smile brighten more. Finally, she received her last special card of the day. The pink one she had been handed had to come from Molly. She opened it up and it revealed the little girl's very amusing, pre-school age attempt at spelling out, _git wel unty piepr (get well aunty piper)._

"Um, yeah, Molly said that since you were a girl you had to get a pink one," Prue mused.

Piper smiled. Then, she sighed and gently folded the papers in her lap. "How are the boys?" she finally opened up to her sister.

"Safe," Prue offered first. "But they really miss you. And Leo," she added.

Piper flinched a little at the mention of Leo's name. "Yeah. Well, who knows when he'll be back. No thanks to those damn Elders," she spat out. She sighed again. "But, hey, on the bright side. At least you have Andy back," she offered on a lighter note.

Prue sent her a questioning look. "How do you know about Andy?"

"Let's just say I paid a little visit before the Afterlife Council in my time away," she explained. "I got to see the decision play out for myself. Those Elders were desperate to try anything," she stressed. She also explained the information pertaining to the In-Between Realm and what all that meant.

"Right," Prue willingly accepted. "Well, they really haven't been much help to us here either during the time you were gone," she made reference to the Elders.

Piper made a face, not liking how that admission sounded. "Should I even dare to ask what's been happening while I was away?"

Prue smirked before answering. "Uh, no, better not. At least not until you're doing better. But please don't worry, we've got it under control," she tried to assure her sister so that she wouldn't spend all her time worrying about everything else except getting better.

"Uh Prue? You always use to claim to have everything under control," she called her sister out. "Which usually means you don't have everything under control."

Prue closed her eyes and smiled. "Uh-huh. Funny. There are some problems that we're dealing with," she admitted. "But that's all," she attempted to pacify her sister for the time being. She decided that Piper really didn't need to know the full extent of it all until she was recovered and well enough to jump back into the swing of things.

"Mm," Piper mumbled. She wasn't sure whether do buy it. But, apparently, it would seem that Phoebe and Paige had gotten comfortable with Prue running things while she wasn't there. "I guess we'll see," she relented. But then she changed the topic back to Andy. "So, then. How is Andy adjusting to everything?"

Piper watched Prue's body language shift. She suddenly appeared very uncomfortable.

"Prue?" she pushed. She sent her sister a puzzled look.

"As of an hour ago, not that well," Prue finally broke, with a solemn expression in place. She used her fingers to run them through her long hair. "I, uh, broke the news to him about Billie before I came here."

Piper observed her sister closely. Obviously, it didn't go down all that well. "Okay. So the truth had to come out eventually, right?" she offered back. "And I'm sure that it had to be somewhat shocking for him to find something like that out. He'll come around, Prue."

"Maybe," Prue acknowledged. "But I know he's mad at me. And now I keep thinking back to everything before all this. And how it really isn't fair to him anyway. I mean, before he died, he wanted a life free from magic and ghosts and demons," she vented. "And now here he is smack dab in the middle of it all again. He probably could have just hightailed it right outta' here if it weren't for Molly and the baby coming. And who could really blame him, ya know?" she vented. "This type of life isn't really suited for anyone outside of magic." She was suddenly thinking about Paige's own predicament with poor Henry.

"Prue, don't be ridiculous. Andy's with you because he loves you," Piper insisted.

"But he really didn't have a choice, now did he?" Prue countered back. "I mean, one minute he's dead and the next minute he's whisked away from the afterlife so he can live a life with me that he doesn't even remember having from before. And since I'm the one who accepted that stupid arrangement, that kinda' makes it my fault."

Piper sighed. "But, Prue, you didn't know that Gideon was going to bring Andy back when you agreed to do it?" she volunteered. "That much I know. I saw it for myself. Don't make more out of this than it is. Just give him some time and space to come to terms with everything."

Prue absorbed her words before abruptly changing the subject.

"Okay, enough about me." She used her finger to wipe underneath her eyes, from where the water build-up had begun to release itself. "I didn't come here to depress you. So, how is that physical therapy coming along?"

Her sister was doing the avoidance thing again. That much about her sister definitely hadn't changed in over five years. But Piper decided to let it go.

"It's coming," she cracked. "Actually, no, I was able to balance myself on the bars and take a few steps," she admitted, getting serious. "I had my first session this morning. And another one in the afternoon. The therapist says things should move along smoothly. After all, it's not like I've been in a coma for years. But try lugging around an extra twenty pounds and see how easy it is to try and keep your balance?" she half-joked, glancing down at her expanding waist-line.

Prue smiled wide and almost laughed.

"As long as you're both okay," Prue offered back. Then, she glanced at her watch. She noted that she needed to get going in order to catch up with Phoebe and Paige on the Henry front. But, she didn't want to alert Piper to that trouble. "Uh, honey, I really hate to cut this short but I do have to get going," she announced.

"Oh, okay. Sure," Piper replied.

Prue stood up from her chair and reached out to her sister's head. Gently, she cupped her hands against the sides of Piper's face and kissed the top of her head. "But I'll back. We love you!"

Prue grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

"Prue?" Piper called out before her sister made the exit. Prue turned around to face her. "Uh, tell Phoebe and Paige to stop by. I've missed them."

Prue smiled, blew her a final kiss, and then departed down the long hospital corridor.

**ooooo**

_**(2 Weeks later ... ) **_

Billie sat in her dorm room, in front of her laptop computer, scrolling down the main web page belonging to the _LA Times_. JD sat to the side of her, anxiously awaiting any piece of valuable information that could turn up.

Spring semester classes had also started a couple weeks ago. However, in addition to that, it provided Billie with a convenient excuse to stay on the campus and away from the manor. The truth of the matter was that things were somewhat tense lately and she was doing the avoiding thing. Avoiding the sisters. Avoiding her new-found parents. Because alot had been going on.

For instance, Paige was now feeling more on edge then ever, with each passing day, and it was making her short-tempered with all the people around her. The scatter demons were not making it easy to rescue Henry. The sisters had made several attempts at recovering Henry from the Underworld only to have the location switched each and every time they got there. It was like the demons were playing mind games and enjoying it. So, the end result was that they now had a stronger potion developed but no location to go to.

Then there was the situation between her and her parents. Billie knew that Prue had broken the news to Andy about who she was and what had happened. However, after the revelation went down, she was aware of the awkward moments shared between the two. She hadn't really witnessed it so much herself since she had deliberately kept her distance. Most of the information came through the grape-vine, so to speak. And mostly from Phoebe. But Billie knew she wouldn't be able to avoid the situation forever. Especially, not if she planned on moving forward in order to form relationships with both of her biological parents. And her sister Molly.

The last remaining hindrance hitting against her conscious was her involvement in keeping Lana's real identity a secret from the sisters. She made the promise to JD but that did little to alleviate the guilt she still felt. Billie had talked herself into believing that it was something she could handle on the down low because the sisters didn't need anything else added to their already full platter. Besides, it wasn't like she planned on keeping it a secret forever, she had reasoned with herself. The only thing positive that had surfaced recently was Piper and her recovery. She and the sisters had made visits to the hospital and Piper was improving with each passing day. This was a good sign because it meant the sisters were closer to being able to unite as the Ultimate Power so they could bring down that wretched Gideon and the rest of the Triad members.

Billie's concentration turned back to the task before her.

"JD, we've been at this for almost two weeks," Billie complained, while entering in her password so she could access the archives of the newspaper on-line. "We've been checking out newspaper articles from newspapers for, like, every major city in this state. And nothing. There's nothing that comes close to what we think we're looking for!"

"No. There has to be something," he tried to remain positive. "We're just missing it."

Billie rolled her eyes. "Missing it? Okay, first off, we don't even know if the information she gave is accurate? Let alone if we're looking in the right place? I mean, what if she was kidnapped from out of state or something like that?"

"I doubt it," JD countered back. "Lana has clear memories of that shed. Why would a demon bother to bring her all the way out to California just to hide her instead of just bringing her straight to the Underworld? I think she had to have been taken from close by," he insisted.

Billie rested her hand against her forehead, releasing a sigh of clear frustration. She watched an assortment of links pop up to guide her into many different directions.

"I don't know," she relented.

Suddenly, she perked up and pulled the desk drawer out. Reaching for the folded piece of paper inside, she pulled it out and unfolded it. JD watched every movement and his facial expression reflected bewilderment.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just for a little inspiration," she answered cryptically, a small smile in place. "To help point us in the right direction," she expounded upon her explanation.

"Is that a spell?" he finally pieced together the meaning behind her words.

"Just a small one. I can put my own little spin on it for what we're doing. I copied it down from the Book of Shadows when I was looking for possible stripping potions the other day. Which by the way, probably won't work on Lana. Most of the ones I found are for demons with lower-level powers. And I didn't have much luck on the Phoebe/Belthazor front either. So we might have to settle for trying a temporary binding spell," she shared with him.

JD listened to her explanation and watched her close her eyes and take a deep breath. After reopening her eyes, she continued on with reciting the spell.

"Okay, here it goes," she whispered lightly.

_"In this present time while I desire direction; Lend forth a hand so I find inspiration. As I seek out right now Lana's own mortal kin; Open the door and please guide me in."_

However, as soon as Billie had finished reciting the spell, the sound of the door opening was heard. Both she and JD had jumped in response and Billie's automatic response had been to crumple up the paper that held the spell within her hand.

**ooooo**

Leo listened with a detached stance, to all the offenses being listed off, that he had allegedly committed during his time serving as both a Whitelighter and Elder from the past. However, the one shaded area of his past that appeared to have the biggest impact on the Afterlife Council was his brief conversion as an Avatar.

"I offer no defense," Leo answered to the allegations. "Except that I lost my way at the time."

"PLEASE CLARIFY WHAT THAT MEANS!" instructed the Council.

"Gideon was serving as Head of the Elder Council. He was behind a plot to murder my son; a plot that ultimately would have led to a disastrous future. One in which my other son, from that time-line, died trying to change. Gideon killed him. I became jaded about what the greater good was suppose to represent," he explained solemnly. "I killed him!"

"WE SEE! BUT THIS NEW REVELATION CONCERNS US!" they suddenly declared.

"Well, then do what you will with me," Leo responded in a defeated tone. "But I won't apologize about Gideon. I did what I had to."

"NO! THAT IS NOT WHAT WE SPEAK OF," the voices corrected. "OUR CONCERNS LIE IN THE WAKE OF YOUR ADMISSION, ELDER," they addressed Leo. "YOUR CLAIM IS TO HAVE ENDED HIS LIFE. YET THE SOUL IN QUESTION HAS YET TO PASS THROUGH OUR REALM. JUDGEMENT NOR REPLACEMENT HAS NEVER BEEN RE-ISSUED TO THE ELDER GIDEON!"

"WHAT?" Leo exclaimed. "That's not possible!"

Leo noticed that even the other Elders, standing before the Council, appeared genuinely surprised with the startling news. How was it possible? He killed him, Leo knew that he had killed him. Suddenly, his fears shifted in a new direction. His immediate concerns were no longer with the Elders present but with the Elder from the past. If he was alive, where was he? Gideon had been responsible for Prue's other life. So, did that mean he was somehow connected to how the Underworld found Prue? The more he thought about it all, the more the pieces started to fit into place and he wasn't liking it. He needed to get back to his wife and her sisters.

"WE SPEAK THE TRUTH!" the voices countered back. "BUT THAT MATTER CAN BE ADDRESSED AFTER THE COUNCIL DECIDES THE FATE OF THOSE PRESENT.

"WE HAVE COME TO A CONSENSUS AND WILL OFFER OUR PROPOSAL TO ALL THAT ARE HERE," one voice answered.

"YES. AND AFTER LISTENING TO BOTH SIDES, WE FIND EVERYONE TO BE IN CONTEMPT!" another voice concluded.

Grunts and moans of protest began to filtrate the air until the Afterlife Council broke in.

"SILENCE!" the loud voices instructed in unison. "LET US FINISH."

Total silence permeated the air as everyone standing before the Council eagerly awaited what the proposal would be.

"HOWEVER," one voice picked back up. "ALTHOUGH WE DO FIND OFFENSE FROM BOTH ENDS, WE DO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CIRCUMSTANCES FOR WHAT THEY WERE. LEO?" the voice turned to him. "SOME OF YOUR EXCURSIONS WE FIND TROUBLING. BUT, TECHNICALLY YOUR ELDER STATUS WAS REMOVED AT ONE POINT AND YOU WERE MADE MORTAL."

"AND TO YOU, EMERITUS? AND REMAINING ELDERS?" a second voice addressed the other men. "ALTHOUGH WE DO NOT ACCEPT THE INTERFERENCE EXTREMES TAKEN BY YOU, WE DO ACCEPT THAT YOU WERE MISLED UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF SAID ELDER, GIDEON!"

"THEREFORE, INSTEAD OF ENACTING SOME OF THE MORE SEVERE PENALTIES FOR YOUR ACTIONS, WE HAVE OPTED TO USE DISCRETION," the voices had collaborated once again.

LEO?" he was addressed by a single voice. "WE HEREBY CLASSIFY THE ACTIONS OF YOUR PAST AS TIME SERVED FOR THE PERIOD OF TIME YOU BECAME MORTAL AGAIN. HOWEVER, YOUR OFFENSE FOR ACCESSING THE MYSTIC REALM WITHOUT PERMISSION TO ENTER THIS REALM MUST BE ADDRESSED. SO WE AGREE TO APPLY THE SAME PENALTY ISSUED TO DIMITRI IN THIS MATTER. A TEMPORARY STRIPPING AGAINST YOUR ELDER POWERS."

"AND TO THE OTHER ELDERS PRESENT," the second voice continued. "WE WILL NOT STRIP YOUR ELDER STATUS COMPLETELY BUT YOU MUST AGREE TO STEP DOWN FROM THE ELDER COUNCIL, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY!"

"IF ALL IN OUR PRESENCE DO NOT AGREE TO THE DEMANDS, WE WILL MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ENACTMENT OF STANDARD PENALTIES!" all voices announced and concluded together.

It was clear to Leo that Emeritus and the other Elders were far from happy. However, he did suspect that they would move to accept the agreement if only to avoid receiving the much harsher penalties that everyone would wind up being subjected to. And while losing his powers couldn't have come at a worse time, he realized at least he was getting off rather easy. Also, there was comfort in knowing that Emeritus and the others would no longer be serving on their own council. In the end, all that really mattered now was that he needed to get back home.

"I agree to the conditions," Leo volunteered first. He eyed the other Elders for their reactions.

Phalmis, Ramar, and Xenus took a moment to gather each other's thoughts on the matter before turning to address Emeritus, who also looked back towards them. For a brief second, he cast Leo a rather forlorn expression in his direction before reluctantly agreeing.

"We will accept," he replied.

"GOOD. SO BE IT!" the Afterlife Council concluded for the final time.

It was the last declaration heard before all the remaining Elders were whisked away from the realm and into their own appropriate settings.

**ooooo **

The orbs materialized into the attic once again. And with it, the orbs carried back the same three sisters from another unsuccessful mission into the depths of the Underworld.

"Damn it!" Paige cursed loudly, stepping away from Prue and Phoebe. Her back was turned to them and the high amount of frustration that she felt was clearly evident in her body language. "How the hell are we supposed to find Henry if we're not even allowed to find the damn location first!" she yelled.

Prue and Phoebe stepped back, allowing their sister some time to vent. The situation had taken its toll on poor Paige and with good reason. Henry had been missing for three weeks now and the closest they came to the clan of scatter demons was the one time they were unable to effectively take them out. But now they couldn't find the clan at all. And even more troublesome? How did they even know there was still a Henry out there to be saved?

"Honey, I know," Phoebe finally spoke out. "I'm sorry. This is hard."

Paige turned around to face her sisters. "Hard?" she mimicked. "Uh, hard doesn't even begin to cover it! This is ridiculous. Absurd! A clan of demons, that shouldn't be that hard to vanquish by the way, have us running around in circles like chickens with our heads chopped off. What we've been doing isn't working!"

"Paige, look. We'll keep trying until we find something," Phoebe tried to reason. "They're going to slip up eventually. We'll find him!"

"No we won't!" Paige protested. Paige turned back around and boldly stepped in the direction of the floorboard. "Not if Gideon, and whatever those stones are, have anything to say about it," she argued.

Both Phoebe and Prue eyed the movements of the youngest Halliwell.

"Uh, Paige? What are you doing?" Phoebe voiced with concern.

"What we should have done before," she declared.

Phoebe released a nervous laugh. "Paige, if that means what I think it's supposed to mean, then you can forget it. We've been over this already. Under no circumstances are we bringing the Ultimate Power incantation into the Underworld with us!"

Paige halted her movements in order to confront her sister.

"Yeah, well, guess what? As far as I'm concerned, your vote no longer counts where Henry is concerned!" Paige snapped back at her sister.

"Uh, Prue? A little help here please?" Phoebe pleaded in an annoyed manner, turning to her oldest sister for some back-up. However, she didn't receive exactly what she was looking for.

Up until this moment, Prue had remained in the background only listening. She stood with her arms crossed and hadn't said anything at all. What was there really to say? The truth was that they were lost on this one and didn't have the right solution on how to fix the problem. She sent Phoebe a look that spoke a thousand words to her.

"Oh Prue? NO WAY!" Phoebe protested. "How could you even consider it?"

Prue glanced between her two sisters and then sent Phoebe an apologetic look. "Phoebe, believe me, I understand the risks," she opted to voice out. "But we are running out of options. And probably even time."

"Uh good," Paige openly mocked. "Two to one. It's settled then. Phoebe's out voted!" She resumed the task of retrieving the incantation from its hidden location. "I'm getting the incantation," she announced.

"It's settled?" Phoebe mimicked, feeling upset. "Nothing's settled except the fact that you two have clearly lost your minds! What's wrong with you guys?"

Prue sympathized with Phoebe's argument. Normally, she wouldn't have stopped to consider it either but it was the only thing left to try. They were desperate.

"Pheebs, we'll be extra careful. And maybe we can try to cast some type of protection spell over it or something while it's with us," Prue suggested.

Phoebe huffed, releasing a sigh of disbelief. She crossed her arms together and shook her head in annoyance.

Paige bent down and opened the loosened floorboard found in the attic intent on retrieving the one piece of paper with the special incantation written on it. However, the disagreement was short-lived because after she reached, she received the shock of her life. Frantically, she began shuffling her hand around inside.

"Oh no. No. No, no, no, NO!" she chanted in a mantra.

Paige's cries of protest immediately caught the attention of the other two sisters who looked over towards her kneeling form. Phoebe uncrossed her arms as both she and Prue stepped forward.

"What's the matter?" Phoebe pleaded.

"It's gone!" she answered frantically. "That's what's the matter!" Paige stood back up and began to pace back and forth.

"Gone?" Prue panicked. "What do you mean, gone?" She instinctively took steps towards the opening in the floor and went in search of it herself. But she yielded the same results from seconds before. Nothing.

"Okay, think Paige. Think, " Paige muttered and instructed to herself. She kept her eyes closed and ran her hands through her hair as she continued to pace anxiously.

"Okay, Paige, this isn't funny," Phoebe laughed nervously, in utter disbelief.

She walked over to join Prue, who had gone in search in a second attempt to try and recover the hidden incantation. How the hell did the incantation disappear? Or worse, who could have found out and gotten their hands on it?

Paige took the time to stop her pacing and address her sister.

"Does it look like I'm laughing?" she countered. "We have a serious problem here!"

"Uh, I don't think serious even begins to cover this!" Phoebe vented, mimicking her sister's own words from moments before.

"Paige? You're sure you put it here?" Prue asked to be safe. "There wasn't anywhere else, like maybe you moved it somewhere and just forgot?"

"NO!" Paige exclaimed, somewhat offended. "How could I forget something like that? I put it in there shortly after Piper's accident so only we would know were to find it!"

"Okay, okay!" Prue asserted, trying to keep herself from panicking.

Prue released a deep breath before standing back up and addressing her sisters. With some quick thinking, she marched over to the podium and flipped to the front of the Book - straight to the page holding the initial incantation that gave them back their powers and the Power of Three. Prue used her hand to tear the first page out and then walked back over to meet her sisters.

"Prue, what are you doing?" Phoebe interrogated, a confused expression crossing her face.

Prue walked back and stood in front of her sisters. "This!" she announced, holding up the paper. "Hopefully, it'll buy us some time. Just in case." Prue turned back towards the table, the same table holding the scrying materials. Prue reached for some potions. "Grab some of these," she instructed of her sisters. "And we need to scry again!"

"Just in case what?" Phoebe questioned.

Both she and Paige made their way back to the table and where Prue stood. But she really already knew the answer to her own question. Prue meant in case one of the demons, working for the Triad, had managed to locate the incantation and bring it back to the Underworld. Which meant that they needed to move and move fast before word of that spread to the scatter demons. Because then there would be no point in keeping Henry alive anymore.

"Just in case the Triad already has it with them," she answered.

"But, Prue, we don't even know how long it's been missing!" Phoebe pointed out. "I mean, maybe that's why we're having the trouble we've been having lately?"

"Maybe. But we have to chance it," Prue insisted.

"What are we going to do exactly?" questioned Paige, not wanting to focus on Phoebe's insinuation that maybe it was already too late for her husband.

"Find another location. And then draw them to us using this," Prue indicated of the page she held within her hand. "We're going to let them think we brought the other one. And then worse case scenario: If they tell us the Underworld already has it? We play it off like that one is really the fake."

The sisters glanced between each other hoping the plan would work.

**ooooo**

Billie sighed in relief when she realized that it was only her roommate who had startled them by entering the room.

"Hey girl!" she announced.

"Hey," Billie came back with her own greeting.

Then, after noticing the young man sitting to Billie's side, Billie's roommate smiled wide.

"And hey to you," she added. The girl stopped and narrowed her eyes in to place where she remembered seeing him before. "Hey? You're that guy. The same one who was hanging out with Billie near the library last semester, right?"

Confused and taken aback by the young woman's sudden inquiry addressed to him, JD began to stutter and he glanced back and forth between the two girls. "Uh. Um. Yeah, I guess."

Billie's roommate stepped forward, extending her hand. "I'm Billie's roommate."

JD smiled gently and extended his hand.

After she gave Billie an approving look, Billie just rolled her eyes and went in for the appropriate introductions. "JD, this is Jasmine. Jasmine, JD!" She turned to address JD. "Jasmine likes to pretend that she knows what's going on when she really doesn't have a CLUE!" Billie turned to address her roommate at the end of her statement before she had the chance to throw any unwelcome digs in about the state of her relationship with JD.

Jasmine rolled her eyes in response. "Hey. I just have a flare for pushing things in the right direction," she cracked. "But, hey, if you don't want my help? Your loss!" she teased Billie while eying JD. A smirk broke out on her face.

"BYE!" came Billie's loud, brush-off reply, although in a joking manner. She rolled her eyes again. "We're in the middle of homework here."

Jasmine laughed.

"I'm outta' here in a few anyway," she replied. "No worries. Room's all yours. Just came back to get my other books for my next class. Although, I can sure think of things to be doing that homework doesn't even compare to!" She couldn't resist throwing the dig at Billie.

Billie released an embarrassed laugh. "Right. Aren't you going to be late or something?"

"I'm going." Jasmine laughed and grabbed for her books. "See ya later."

"Bye."

After her roommate left the dorm room, Billie shared a moment with JD. They both shared a smile that was born out of amusement by her roommate's not so subtle antics. However, Billie's attention quickly reverted back to her laptop screen and the link she was now being provided with.

"Oh, I think we got something!" she announced, suddenly grabbing JD's attention to it.

Billie clicked on the link and after she did, received the shock of her life. There in bold print, the newspaper caption read of the impending death sentence that was to be imposed within the coming days. Her eyes briefly scanned the contents of the article ... a murdered sister, a missing baby, and the guilty conviction that was entered only months before. That small bit of information felt odd to Billie seeing as how most death row inmates stayed on death row for years. But, putting all that information to the side, that was not what held Billie's shocked reaction at the moment. Instead, it was the small square picture of the man who had been accused of the crime.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, staring at the man's picture. The name printed underneath the photo read Richard but she would know that face anywhere.

"What? What is it?" JD's nervous reaction followed.

"That's Coop!"

**ooooo**

Lana exited the building structure and the stuffy atmosphere for some fresh air.

She stepped outside, closed her eyes, and took in a deep intake of air. Then she released it, breathing back out. The fresh air felt good against her face. After opening her eyes, she proceeded down the steps.

Lana was intent on taking a walk to clear her head. In truth, she had thought it would be more difficult than it actually had been. Her situation that is. With a little effort, she had been able to control the part of herself that had become accustomed to reacting - her demonic nature. The part that didn't give much thought to the consequences of her actions. The demon side to herself that would always be there. As it turned out, she didn't feel as disgusted or turned off by her living situation as she had thought she would be. In fact, being in such close proximity to the other mortals around her had the same effect on her that she had begun to experience earlier. When she had watched some of the mothers with their young children, those repressed feelings from her early childhood had resurfaced.

However, the in-takers at the shelter had been shocked to discover that she didn't even possess an education that matched a simple kindergarten level. Therefore, their attempts to help move her in the direction of finding work, in order to ground herself, proved to be more than difficult and a tad bit unrealistic. Limited education would limit options but no education at all? Let's say that it created less than ideal circumstances. It had to be worked with in time.

A figure in the distance kept watch on the young woman after she had exited the building. It was about time, he would approach her. However, not more than a second later, the cell phone belonging to the figure began ringing. The caller ID registered as Inspector Richardson.

"I can't talk right now," he answered. "I'll get back to you later."

Hastily, he ended the call so that he wouldn't lose sight of Lana. She was walking down the sidewalk, coming in his direction. Carefully, he walked out onto the sidewalk and pretended not to notice or see her. As they both came into closer contact, he swiped past her on purpose, almost knocking her down.

"HEY!" came her automatic response. Then, remembering what she was trying to change, she brought her tone down a notch. "I mean, hey!" she corrected.

The man stared at the young woman after reaching out to steady her balance.

"My fault!" he volunteered.

She simply stared back.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked in a conspicuous manner. Patiently, he waited for her to take the bait.

Although an odd feeling of deja vu grabbed ahold of her, she looked at the man before her as if he had lost his mind. "No! I've never seen you before in my life!" she denied.

The man plastered on a fake smile. "Allow me to introduce myself." He extended his hand before finishing. "Richard."

Lana issued the man a dirty look while glancing between him and his outstretched hand.

**ooooo**

It was now late and past dusk within the mortal realm.

The man in the dark attire waited for the third time in two weeks for his call to be answered. It was the Avatar and his patience wore thin.

Suddenly, flashes of blue and white materialized before the Avatar and he straightened out his stiffened posture as he awaited the full arrival of his guest. Then, out of the orbs appeared the Elder which the Avatar was seeking out. Emeritus.

"It's about time!" the Avatar declared. "I thought you wouldn't show. And that would be such a wasted shame seeing as how I've accomplished obtaining what it is you seek," he slightly taunted, holding up the incantation he stole from the Book of Shadows so long ago.

He waved it back and forth between his fingers.

"Good. You've found it," Emeritus announced. "Now, give it to me." He reached out to grab it; however, the Avatar quickly pulled it back.

The Elder glared at the Avatar before continuing.

"I was stuck before the Afterlife Council in their realm," he explained begrudgingly. "Otherwise, I would have been here sooner. But I've kept true to my word and left your name out of it," he reassured the man standing before him. "So. The incantation please!"

Emeritus had taken the initiative on his own to seek out the Avatar responsible for assisting Gideon and them during their quest to eliminate the Ultimate Power's culmination. The other Elders were unaware that he had found him before they were sequestered before the Afterlife Council. It was really the only way to find out for sure what had become of the missing page from the Book of Shadows so long ago. However, much to his dismay, he had discovered that the incantation had in fact not been destroyed at all. He struck a deal with the Avatar for its return. In exchange, the Avatar would never be mentioned or heard from again.

"And what of the others?" the Avatar questioned, referring to the rest of the Elders who were aware of his involvement in the past.

"They are none the wiser," Emeritus admitted to the Avatar. "They don't even know I went looking for you. Now hand it over," he demanded.

The Elder's only agenda was to be rid of the Ultimate Power threat once and for all. And after he had it in his possession, he fully intended to destroy it so that evil would never have the chance again. But just as the Avatar reached out to release it, an arrow shot through the air out of nowhere hitting Emeritus square in the chest.

"Yes, what a great idea! Why don't you hand that over this way?" another voice rang out.

It was a familiar voice and it rang through Emeritus' memory senses as he hit the ground, the incantation clutched in his hand. The Avatar glancing briefly over towards the two approaching figures in the distance, faded out almost immediately. Unbeknowest to the Avatar, the darklighter managed to successfully track his comings and goings. And he had tracked him to this realm of purgatory twice before this, after making the Triad aware of what he had seen.

As the two figures came directly into sight, Emeritus quickly noted the darklighter. But it was the other figure that startled him, the figure standing on the darklighter's left side that astounded the Elder the most. And as he lay there dying, Emeritus did notice the black robe and the pentagram symbol found in the center of it because it was attire belonging to the Triad.

"Gid ... Gideon?" Emeritus barely got out, blood flowing out and around his mouth. This wasn't possible. He couldn't be seeing what he thought he was seeing could he, he questioned of the two figures hovering above him. "Ho ... How? W ... Why?" he barely managed to stutter out.

Gideon stared down at the man below him. A man he once considered to be a dear friend in their fight to protect and balance the greater good. Only now, they were sworn enemies. His gaze traveled to what he sought in the Elder's hand. He bent down and yanked it from Emeritus.

"The how's and the why's are not important," Gideon answered, standing back up. "But I am afraid that your time has come, old friend!" he concluded, as he turned back around and signaled to the darklighter to finish the job.

The darklighter did as he was instructed. While stiffening his posture, he pulled back on the bow as he prepared to launch one final arrow down at the dying Elder below. However, Emeritus managed to use what little strength he had left and forced himself to orb out and he aimed back in the direction of the Elder realm.

* * *

**To Be Continued: **Alright, thanks for reading and don't forget to review. I'll start working on the next chapter as soon as I can.

**Coming Up: **Both Leo and Piper return home, the sisters attempt another try at rescuing and bringing Henry back home, the mystery surrounding Lana opens up, and the sisters seek a way to recover the missing/stolen incantation.

**Stay Tuned ... :o) **


	31. Homecoming

Thanks to all my loyal reviewers ...

**Farah A**, **AlyssaP3**, **PrUe AnD AnDy**, **I'll Be Watching You Drown**, and **charmed1979**.

All of the continued interest and input I receive from each of you is greatly valued/appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to let me know what you think.

**Farah: **Happy you were able to catch up. Now, hurry. Go catch up on your essays. **lol ...**

**Alyssa: **Tick toc, tick toc. I'm still waiting. **LOL, hehe, **kidding though. I do understand that life gets busy. Get to it when you can. **;o)**

Glad to know you still enjoy how the story continues to keep unfolding. **:o)**

**PrUe AnD AnDy: **Wow. I must be giving you too much of a good thing? (wink) **LOL. **Actually I'm glad to be writing something you enjoy.

**I'll Be Watching You Drown: **Congrats on your first-time inspirational nomination, **lol.**

I'm with you on the Henry front though. He's too adorable. I wish that the show had more time to develop him and Paige because I never really liked her with anyone else.

**charmed1979: **I'm glad that the story continues to make you want more. Yeah, I actually have more ideas that include Coop/Lana but I think I may push some of it off into a sequel. I'm considering doing one as other storyline ideas come to me. I really didn't intend to but I basically have the general layout to this one already planned out. So these other ideas would need to be developed when this one is finished.

Without further delay, the next chapter ...

* * *

**Chapter 30: Homecoming**

They all gathered around the spectacle found within the Elder Realm.

The lights had suddenly appeared in the form of a faint dim but, nevertheless, those orbs had delivered the injured and dying Elder to his final destination. The loud thud, that accompanied his fall, had sounded off and alerted the others to his arrival.

Everybody gathered around, huddled in a circle, as Phalmis tried pushing his way through the growing crowd of Elders. Ramar and Xenus followed closely behind.

"Move out of the way!" Phalmis demanded, pushing other Elders to the side.

The sight that greeted Phalmis, Ramar, and Xenus was shocking. There, on the ground, lie Emeritus with an arrow shooting up from out of his chest. Clearly, he appeared to be at death's door as Phalmis and the others knelt around him. All three men immediately extended their hands to attempt a joint healing.

Emeritus stared at the men surrounding him. He could feel his consciousness slipping away as he attempted to deliver his final words as an Elder. A warning.

"Gideon," he mouthed with deep gasps for air. "And Triad," he continued to break apart his words. "Not dead." The last word barely came out as a faint whisper as Emeritus took his last breath. Closing his eyes, his head flung to the side.

The healing hadn't worked. The poison from the darklighter's arrow had moved quickly and it had been too late to save him.

"What about Gideon?" Phalmis desperately pleaded in vain. "Emeritus?"

The three Elders retracted their hands. They each looked to each other with a startled expression. Of course, they knew that the Triad was still alive and they had just discovered the truth about Gideon as well. Which apparently meant that he was still alive somewhere. So what was Emeritus trying to tell them? Perhaps that the Triad had Gideon? Was it possible the Triad had managed to hold the Elder hostage this entire time without their knowledge?

"He's gone!" Ramar announced solemnly, stating what was obvious to all there.

"Yes. But what did he find out about Gideon?" Xenus stated, his tone heavily laced with worry. "And what does it have to do with a darklighter?"

"What do we do now?" Ramar questioned.

Phalmis looked between the others. There was only one thing left to do and he just hoped that they already had the answers to the questions that they, themselves, did not.

**ooooo**

The trip back to the Underworld was one filled with much trepidation.

The sisters knew that if they didn't pull this off just right, it could very well mean the end for Henry. And that's if it wasn't too late already. Paige had orbed her sisters and herself back into the dark, dingy atmosphere. The scrying had been successful in garnering a new location but most of the Underworld looked the same to any observer. After arriving, all three of the sisters took a glance around at their surroundings, keeping themselves on close guard.

"Wow. This place is so dark even my own shadow is afraid of it," Phoebe cracked.

"Well, duh, what were you expecting? Since when have the words_ rainbow _and _Underworld _ever gone together?" Paige commented, breaking in with some light humor.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea, actually," Phoebe joked in response to Paige's remark. "Think the leprechauns would be up to some redecorating?"

Paige snorted in response. "I don't think so. Not after the Billie/Christy fiasco from last year. They're probably sitting around their pot of gold as we speak, conjuring up all the ways to curse us with any bad luck they can throw our way," she added. "And this place is like a rat's maze," her focus went back to their immediate surroundings.

"Only we're the rats," Prue piped in. "So let's be careful. Ready?" She turned her head around to get their approval for the go-ahead.

Paige nodded her head. "Ready."

"Let's _scatter_ some demon butt," Phoebe joined in.

Prue stepped forward. "Okay, here goes nothing," she remarked. There was a pause and a deep breath before she continued. "HEY!" she shouted out into the opened space around her. "Come out come out wherever you are," she baited. "We've brought you something this time!"

They waited a few seconds; however, there was no response. No scatter demons appeared out of hiding to take the bait.

"Okay, we know that you're here!" Prue added.

"And that you can hear us!" Phoebe's voice followed that of her sister's.

"And we're going to take a pretty good guess that you can probably see us too!" Paige threw out as well.

All the sisters carefully observed everywhere around them for any impending signs that would alert them to the scatter demons arrival but still there was nothing. Suddenly, Prue turned around and decided to reach behind into her back pocket and then pulled out the folded piece of paper. Glancing over at the flaming torch against the wall, a smirk passed over her face. After walking towards it, she pulled it off the stone wall.

"I have an idea," Prue proposed out loud. "I say that we test my sisters theories out?" she openly mocked. Prue brought the tip of the paper just before the flame. "What do you say?"

Phoebe looked at her sister wide-eyed and turned to Paige with her shocked expression, who just so happened to also be holding the same surprised expression of her own.

"If you really want it that bad, you'll show yourself?" Prue shouted. "Otherwise, the Ultimate Power never reaches the Triad. Which in that case, you fail!" she tried baiting again.

They all waited. Phoebe and Paige glanced to opposite sides.

"No?" Prue mocked some more. She allowed the tip of the paper to make contact with the flame and the edge of the paper lit up.

"Prue?" Phoebe panicked, stepping forward. Was she crazy? She was about to destroy the first incantation that led to their destiny as the Charmed Ones and as the Power of Three.

"Wait!" an unwelcoming, familiar voice suddenly interjected.

The call grabbed the attention of all three sisters and Phoebe halted her movements that were heading in Prue's direction to stop her. The clan leader of the scatter demons had shimmered back into sight and the sisters watched as others began to shimmer back in following his lead.

"There's no need to shout!" he sneered at the eldest Charmed One.

Prue sneered back in his direction. She blew against the paper to get rid of the flame. "Right. So you could see and hear us this entire time? Just like all the other times?"

"Of course." The clan leader released his insidious laugh. "There was really no point in showing ourselves to you when you had no intentions of living up to the agreement!"

"And what agreement would that be?" Paige interjected in a cocky tone, feeling absolutely heated with the situation. "To let you kill us anyway? Sorry to disappoint you. Where's my husband?" she demanded to know.

"First we get the incantation," the demon demanded, leaving no room for argument. "Then we'll talk about the mortal!"

It was Phoebe who released a laugh this time around. "Forget it!" she declared. "I mean, what do we even have to go on? Your word? I don't think so. How do we even know he's still alive?"

The clan leader looked over at Prue, who stood holding the tip of the paper back up against the flame on the torch. Her own sneer was plastered across her face as she internally prayed and pleaded that this ploy would make the demons release Henry first. Then, he glanced back over between Phoebe and Paige before finally relenting.

With a snap of his finger, another scatter demon shimmered back into sight with a man in his grasp. As soon as they appeared, the man was shoved to the ground by the demon. It was Henry. He had landed flat on his stomach with no way to catch his fall. He was tied up - bound and gagged.

"Henry!" Paige exclaimed, instinctively moving forward at the sight of her husband.

But her movements were put to rest as soon as the clan of scatter demons huddled around the man on the ground, blocking her path to him.

**ooooo**

Andy sat inside the precinct, anxiously awaiting his new partner and assignment.

He had interviewed with the San Francisco Police Department over a week ago and accomplished being hired back on. The only difference being that he was now assigned to a different precinct location. Which in the long run, was fine by him. It reduced the chances of running into others he'd known on the force from years ago. And this way, some of the pressure had been removed and he didn't have to worry about answering awkward questions on the state of his life for the past eight or nine years. It had already felt unsettling being subjected to an interview that treated him as if he had merely relocated from San Francisco, all those years back, rather than dying in the line of duty, which he had. But at least now, it sort of felt like a fresh start.

Andy glanced at his watch again before he heard the call of his name.

"Inspector Trudeau?"

Immediately, Andy looked up to catch his new boss approaching him with another gentleman along side him. He stood up from the chair.

"Captain?" Andy greeted the first man. As he extended his arm and the two men shook hands, he turned to eye the other man.

"All pumped and ready to go, I see?" the Captain joked, a wide grin in place.

Andy smiled. "Just glad to be back at work, sir."

"Good, good."

His new captain displayed a good nature. He was a round, balding man but with a positive disposition and he watched as his Captain turned to the other man beside him to offer the introductions.

"Alright, well, Andrew meet your new partner. Daniel, this is Inspector Andrew Trudeau. He was on the force here back in what? 1999 was it?" the Captain stopped to question it.

"It was '98 and '99," Andy answered. "But different precinct."

"Aah, right. And then you were relocated. Anyway, this here is Daniel," the Captain continued. "Inspector Daniel Richardson. "He's a recent addition to the precinct as well."

Andy froze and the smile slowly faded from his face as the name registered. Inspector Richardson? Was this the Inspector Richardson his wife had told him about? The same one investigating the fire that broke out at the club? The man making numerous inquiries into all their backgrounds and accusing them of being involved with fraudulent insurance claims?

Inspector Richardson immediately picked up on the other man's reaction to him. He narrowed his eyes at Andy suspiciously. "Something wrong?" he inquired.

Andy blinked a few times and arched his brow, pulling himself out of his momentary state of alarm that had led to the uncomfortable reaction.

"Uh, no. No, not at all," he quickly tried to cover up. He extended his hand out to meet the other Inspector's. "Nice to meet you." He nodded his head at Richardson.

The men broke apart but Richardson still continued to regard Andy with suspicion and Andy had picked up on it right away.

"Good. Now that that's settled, let's get down to business gentleman," the Captain announced. "Shall we?"

After the other two men turned to walk in the opposite direction, Andy released a deep breath and a low whistle that followed it. With hands placed against his hips, he released a smirk and a shake of his head in disbelief. He was reacting to the irony of the situation he found himself in. Then, he regained his composure, proceeding in their direction.

_Just my luck, _he thought.

**ooooo**

Paige sighed in despair as her efforts to reach her husband were thwarted.

"The incantation?" the clan leader reiterated strongly. "Or Henry, here, doesn't live to see another day!" the verbal threat followed.

There stood the sisters and the scatter demons as each side eyed the other one waiting for any suspicious movement. Prue shared a look of understanding with both sisters before responding to the demon's threat. The look they shared told Phoebe what to do next. A small bag of potion vials had accompanied them into the Underworld and it remained hidden behind the small boulder just a couple feet behind them. Just after they had orbed in, Phoebe had dropped the bag there inconspicuously, trying to prevent it from being seen by the demons.

Prue and Paige each took a step forward, standing side by side. It provided a small shield against any clear view of Phoebe and what she was attempting to do.

"Alright," Prue announced. "We do this at the same time," she continued, hoping to distract them long enough for Phoebe to grab the bag. "I'll hand this over," she indicated of the page. "At the same time Henry's handed over to my sister," she nodded in Paige's direction.

Phoebe continued to take small steps backwards so she wouldn't alert any of the demons to her sudden movements. The clan leader kept an eye on the paper held within Prue's hands. Then, he turned his head and nodded to one of the others. One of the demons grabbed for Henry off of the ground in a rough manner and then he approached. Slowly, Prue reached out to extend her hand and at the same time, Phoebe had retreated back far enough to slowly bend down and retrieve the bag. However, she wasn't as lucky this time around. A demon spotted the suspicious activity.

"HEY!" the demon hollered in Phoebe's direction.

His call alerted the others to the situation. Phoebe grabbed the bag and went for the potions found inside and during the moment of distraction, Paige managed to pull Henry to safety. But Prue wasn't as lucky because while her hand was extended to release the page from her hand, the clan leader reacted immediately by grabbing ahold of her wrist and spinning her around in his grasp. His hand was now positioned tightly around her throat. The torch fell from her hand and dropped to the ground, with the flame dying out permanently.

"PRUE!" exclaimed Phoebe. Both she and Paige attempted to move to their sister's defense.

"One move and I snap her neck!" threatened the clan leader. "Drop the bag!"

"Phoebe don't!" Prue instructed.

"Shut-up! This isn't up for debate and you and your sisters don't get a vote!" the clan leader hollered, tightening the grip around her throat even more. Prue's flinch and discomfort was plainly noticeable to both sisters. His attention turned back to Phoebe. "Now, it's the bag or your sister's life!"

"Throw the potions!" Prue got out a second time.

The demon used his other hand, the one gripping the page from the Book of Shadows, to clasp over her mouth at the same time to smother any further attempts to voice her commands. "I take it you don't value your life all that much? Or the air I'm allowing you to breath down here so how about I fix that for you?" he sneered.

Thinking back to a time over five years ago when they had been forced to grieve for a lost sister, Phoebe panicked and immediately dropped the bag. Some of the vials rolled out and were now visible on the ground. There was no way she was willing to risk feeling that way ever again. Not when they had been given a second chance with Prue. While Paige was trying to steady Henry to one side of her, she decided to take advantage of the situation that presented itself to them. Spying the vials lying across the ground, she knew exactly what she had to do.

"Vials!" she called out, waving her hand in the air. Instantly, they transformed into a flurry of orbs and went flying straight into the clan of scatter demons.

The reaction was immediate as a number of scatter demons yelled and exploded at the exact same time. While the clan leader was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected attack against his followers, Prue used his distraction to free herself from the clan leader's grasp. With some of her earlier years of training coming back to her, she snagged his hand away from her throat, twisted his arm around and sent him back flipping to the ground.

"Go! We're going now!" she instructed, running back towards her sisters and Henry.

Both Prue and Phoebe latched onto Paige who also had a hold of Henry, still bound and gagged. Remaining scatter demons released fire balls in their direction. The orbs materialized fast, barely escaping the balls of fire that made contact with the light. Unfortunately, one of them grazed Phoebe's shoulder as Paige was in the mist of orbing them out. But, mission one was down; however, number two was still to come. But at least Henry was now safe.

The clan leader looked down at the paper he held in his hand. When he caught sight of what he was really holding, his anger boiled to life.

"NO!" he fumed.

**ooooo **

Andy sat in his new office, at his new desk, while watching his new partner off in the distance. He was immersed in some type of conversation over his cell phone just outside of the door. He also stood with a manila-colored file in hand. He couldn't make out what was being said, which indicated to Andy that the conversation was most likely intended to be a private one and had nothing to do with official police business at all.

Normally, Andy considered eavesdropping to be rude. However, under these circumstances, there was just something that felt off about his new partner. He was an older gentleman who easily had twenty years on him and Andy concluded that much right away. He continued to observe while the other Inspector snapped his cell phone shut, apparently ending the call.

Inspector Richardson walked back in and threw the file down against his desk. Not once did he glance over at Andy. It was a rather cold reception and he had a pretty good hunch why that was. Andy decided to get what was bothering him off his chest.

"Look, Daniel, before we dig in here? I think we need to get some things straight between us," he opened up to the man sitting across from him. "Maybe you should ask for another partner?"

This caught the other man's attention. "Oh? And why is that?" He looked back down at his desk, opening the file, before making his next crack. "Quitting after only one day, I see?"

Yeah - it was settled. Andy did not like this man.

"No!" Andy stared at the man, remaining calm and collected. "But let's not play games with each other. I think you knew exactly who I was before I even walked through that door earlier," he accused the man, nodding in the direction of the door as he spoke. "My home address has been listed with the department. Which also means you know you're investigating my wife and her family about that fire incident over at the club!"

"Oh right. P3?" the man questioned snidely.

"Yes, P3!" Andy replied back, just as snidely as his partner had executed his own response. "And I think we both know this is a major conflict of interest here."

The man's cold, vacant eyes shot back over at Andy. "Conflict of interest?" the Inspector parroted as if he had no idea what in the world Andy was going on about. "What conflict of interest? There is no conflict of interest," he denied. "I'm closing that case out. It was accidental. Nothing more and nothing less."

"You're closing the case out?" Andy repeated, disbelief shining through his words. "As accidental cause?"

"That's what I said," Richardson supplied. "So whatever issues you have with me, you're just going to have to deal with them!" he exclaimed, standing up, and throwing the file over onto Andy's desk. "Alrighty, partner?" he added smugly.

Andy stared at him as he slowly reached over and grabbed for the file practically thrown at him. Opening it up and pulling it closer, his eyes came to rest on crime scene photos of a homicide - a very disturbing homicide. These poor people looked like they had suffered a great deal.

"It's been an open case for almost a year now," Richardson rattled off. "And now it's all ours. Names are Bill and Samantha Jenkins. They lived in L.A. but their bodies were found right here in San Francisco at the Bay Area Hotel. Bloodied and battered to death."

_Jenkins?_

Andy thought that name sounded familiar.

"The investigation turned up very little. Wasn't much that turned up in their history or anyone that harbored a grudge against them. Except this. The Jenkins' had a daughter that went missing about fourteen years back. A Christy Jenkins. She was abducted at the age of seven and never turned back up. So there's a possible connection there."

Andy continued to scan the photographs, listening to the facts, until the next piece of information caught his ear.

"Their only remaining child is another daughter. A Billie Jenkins."

Andy's eyes shot up at the revelation of that full name - Billie Jenkins. Coincidence? Nope, not a chance, thought Andy, as it was now crystal clear to him where he remembered hearing that last name pop up before. Under his own roof, belonging to a daughter he hadn't even known existed before a couple weeks ago when Prue dropped the bombshell. Jenkins was the last name of his now teen-aged daughter. And now, here he was sitting at a desk, investigating the deaths of the very people who had been responsible for raising the young girl her entire life?

Andy groaned inwardly. He didn't like where this was leading. He coughed and then cleared his throat before making his next inquiry. "So. Anything relevant pop up on her?"

"Well, I was hoping you could tell me?" Richardson jumped in. He stared at Andy with a weird gleam in his eye. "You know. Since she happens to be living with you right now?"

_He's enjoying this a little too much, _thought Andy.

"The Billie Jenkins living at the Manor?" Andy questioned, playing dumb. "I didn't even know there was any connection 'til just now. Alot of people out there share the same last name, Inspector, you should know that."

"Hm," he mumbled. "Well, not alot of people out there named Jenkins also happen to share the Halliwells in common. Did you know that Billie's parents spent some time at the Halliwells shortly before they died? When they came out to visit their daughter at college?"

Andy gave the man an odd look, shrugging his shoulders. "The point being?"

"The point being that alot of people who come into contact with the Halliwells appear to either get hurt or wind up dead!" Richardson's tone hitched a bit. He fought hard to regain his composure. "Take the club fire for instance?"

Andy narrowed his eyes at the other man, sending him a glare. He didn't like the games this man appeared to be playing. "I thought you said it was an accident?" he challenged the other Inspector with some venom laced into his tone.

"It is!" he smirked. "But like I said? People associated in anything to do with the Halliwells tend to get hurt in the long run. And wherever the Halliwells can be found, this Billie doesn't seem to be too far behind. I wonder what the reason for that is? Or maybe I should ask, is it in any way connected to why Homeland Security has an interest in her too?"

Andy sighed, feeling his frustration grow. "Look, Inspector," he voiced. "I've barely been back a few months. I don't even know her all that well. Okay?"

"Uh-huh. Right," Richardson mocked. He stood up from his desk. "Well, when you do? Do me a favor and let me know when you find that to be a conflict of interest. But in the meantime, we do need to question her. So try to bring her in," he instructed.

Andy watched as the man reached from over his desk and grabbed for the folder off of his. He sent Richardson a hard glare as the man took off for the evening. Standing up from his chair, Andy reached for his jacket that was swung over it. Time for him to go too.

Yeah - it was safe to say he didn't like where this investigation was leading at all!

**ooooo **

Victor was sitting at the table in the small conservatory, when the lights that suddenly appeared flashed into the familiar form of a man.

"You spin the arrow like this. See?" he was instructing to Chris, his younger grandson.

He and all three of the children were in the middle of playing a game of Chutes and Ladders_, _Molly's favorite game, after they had engaged in Wyatt's favorite game of Candy Land. But through his peripheral vision, he had caught sight of the orbs. He had been expecting to see Paige reappear with his other two daughters. However, as it ended up, he was surprised by who it actually turned out to be.

"Leo?" he exclaimed.

"Hey Victor," came Leo's response.

"Daddy!" Wyatt yelped excitedly.

Suddenly, Wyatt bolted off of the chair and ran in the direction of his father and Victor watched the scene play out before him. Leo bent down to lift him up in the air and gave him a tight squeeze.

"Hey there buddy. How you been?" He kissed the top of his son's blond head. Then he smirked as he looked over and saw young Chris clapping.

"Mommy all better now!" the young tot exclaimed with a smile. Wyatt was remembering the words and the promise that had been made by his aunts in the days before. Which would mean that if daddy was back, he had made mommy all better again.

"You got it, pal," Leo played along with his son. His face mirrored some confusion but he quickly pieced together that the girls must have offered up that explanation while both he and Piper were away from them.

Molly sat in a slouched position, with her elbows against the table and both hands resting against her cheeks. She watched, waiting to resume the game they had started playing together. Victor got up from his own chair and walked over in Leo's direction.

"So then you're back?" Victor asked, seeking confirmation. "For good this time?"

"Yeah. For good. Where are the girls?" Leo addressed Victor, placing Wyatt back on the ground and walking in the direction of Chris. He patted the top of his head and gave him a quick peck on top of his head too but his question sounded serious in nature.

"Trying to find Henry. So they can bring him back home."

"Henry?" Leo inquired with a widespread look of confusion. "What happened?"

"The girls ran into some trouble while you were away," explained Victor. "He's been missing for a few weeks now. But they haven't had much luck."

Leo caught the reference to the time frame. "Wait, three weeks? How long have I been gone?"

"Over two months," Victor offered up readily.

"Wow." It hadn't felt that long to him.

Victor looked down at his watch. "And Piper's supposed to be coming home later. She's being released from the hospital today. We're just waiting for the girls to get back. Hopefully, mission accomplished this time."

"Yay!" little Wyatt jumped up and down, clapping his hands in his excited state.

Both Victor and Leo grinned in his direction.

"How's she doing?" inquired Leo.

"Better. But she couldn't walk at first," Victor informed with a serious demeanor. "She's been working with a physical therapist to regain her strength. And talking to someone on the side but she's coming along. And the baby's okay too," he added in that last piece of information.

"Good," Leo muttered.

He felt the guilt about not being able to be there but he also knew he needed to break the news about Gideon. While things were looking up for them in personal areas, everything was far from being okay. Not with Gideon still running around on the loose doing god knows what. Leo momentarily imagined being in a position where he could just take his bare hands, placing them around his throat, and sucking the life out of someone who should have already been gone. However, he just as quickly amended the thought. A few seconds later, both he and Victor were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing.

Andy walked inside.

**ooooo **

Billie brought herself up to Phoebe's floor and pulled out her key to the apartment.

Phoebe had given her a spare key back when Billie was helping to babysit Molly because Phoebe had been fostering her at the time. But now she was here for another reason. And she was also pretty sure she'd find the apartment empty because none of the sisters had gotten back yet. Otherwise, they would have checked in with her. So, for a brief moment, she reflected on poor Henry and prayed he'd make it out of this alive.

Using her key, she unlocked the door and stepped inside.

_Well. Just like I thought. Nobody home, _came Billie's thoughts. After taking a quick look around, she took a deep breath and did what she came here to do.

"Coop?" she called out, hoping he'd hear her call. "Coop? It's Billie. I hope you can hear me because I really really need to talk to you about something!" she stressed.

Silence met all around her as her call went unanswered.

"Please?" she stressed once again. "It's really important! And I just thought I'd come ask you first before I went to Phoebe about it! And I will be going to Phoebe about it!"

Suddenly, Coop flashed in from behind startling Billie and making her jump.

"Why are you shouting?" he protested, as Billie jumped and turned around to face him. "I can hear you just fine!"

Coop stood waiting for an answer on why she had summoned him.

"Oh. There you are," she piped in.

Coop looked at her. "Yeah. I was on assignment. Was there something you needed?" he inquired. "Phoebe's not in trouble, is she?" his voice suddenly filling with concern.

"Phoebe's still with Paige and my mother," Billie answered. "As far as I know. And they're supposed to pick up Piper and bring her home when they're done. So, trust me, they're being kept busy. But that's not what I needed to talk to you about." She stared at him.

Coop, standing with his arms to the side, shook his head. "Okay. What is it then?"

"How come you never mentioned you were mortal before?"

**ooooo **

Both Victor and Leo were greeted by the sight of Andy as he rounded the corner, with his car keys in hand. He had access to a new car assigned to all working Inspectors. Molly leaped off the chair to run and hug her father and Andy immediately hugged her back.

"Hey," Andy greeted both men in a simple manner. Victor responded first.

"Hey."

"Hey Andy," Leo followed.

"So. You're back?" Andy addressed Leo, seeing the other man for the first time again in weeks. "Some more good news for a change. Things around here have been lacking in that department." He walked over and dropped the car keys onto the table beside him.

Leo sighed. "Well, unfortunately, it's not all good."

"Prue around?" asked Andy.

However, before anyone could respond, his own question got answered when a flash of lights reflected from around the corner. A loud thudding sound followed it and all three men looked to each other before walking out into the dining room only to find the three sisters standing in the foyer with Henry in tow. It appeared that upon their entrance, he had fallen to the floor. He was tied up.

Paige knelt to the floor. "Hold on Henry," she instructed gently. She pulled the piece of cloth from out of his mouth and began to untie his arms and legs. "Are you okay?" she asked, almost out of breath.

Prue and Phoebe assisted Paige in bringing him back to his feet. Paige threw herself at him and held on tightly while Henry returned the embrace.

"Uh ..." he stammered, feeling a little dizzy. "Sure. Why not? But it took you long enough," he tried to joke, as he responded to his wife's inquiry.

"Hey, you're welcome!" Prue chimed in, joking around.

"Sorry," Paige mumbled against him, her eyes shut tightly. When she reopened them, they slowly broke apart from one another and she noticed the black and blue coloring surrounding his eye, along with some various cuts and scratches covering his face.

Paige reached over in an attempt to heal the injuries but received protest from Henry.

"Honey, I'm okay," he put up his hands to stop her. "Really, I'm okay," he insisted when he caught her look of skepticism.

"I was just going to heal that for you," Paige insisted right back.

However, Henry knew he felt far from okay as that sudden wave of dizziness he felt earlier overtook him. But he still tried to ignore it and pretend like everything was fine. Briefly, he glanced around the room observing everyone present inside of the foyer with them. He swayed a little bit and Paige reached out to steady him.

"I'm fine," he insisted once again. "Really. Don't worry about me." Then, he turned to the others, intent on proving to everyone that he was perfectly fine. "Hey there Leo," he addressed the other man, who was standing with his arms crossed and observing the scene with concern. "How's it going man?"

"Good. Um, but are you sure that you're okay?" Leo returned, not really buying the act.

"Sure, man, sure," he brushed off. Then, he turned to Victor next. "Victor, good to see you again." However, when Henry's eyes reached Andy he was about to say something when he suddenly stopped to really think about it. "And - Wait a minute. Who exactly are you again?"

"Andy," the Inspector answered his question.

Henry nodded his head in acceptance. "Ah, right." Then, a look of confusion crossed his face as he thought about the introduction some more. "Uh, hold on. Who's Andy?" He looked to the others with him.

"Andy would be Prue's husband," Phoebe answered quite matter-of-factly, while pointing over in her sister Prue's direction.

Prue and Andy glanced over at each other. There was an uncomfortable feeling that had risen up between them, probably because things between them had been left unresolved. Andy had been keeping himself distracted by looking for work until he found it while Prue had kept herself preoccupied with the search to rescue Henry.

"Oh," Henry accepted. "Okay, well nice to meet you Andy." He waved in his direction. Then, without warning, Henry's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out before falling to the floor.

"Henry!" Paige screeched, reaching out for him. "Help me get him to the couch!" she instructed to the others.

Phoebe brought her hand over her mouth while Victor, Leo, and Andy immediately moved to help as they bent down to lift Henry up and bring him over to the couch. The three sisters followed behind all the guys. Frantically, Paige knelt beside him and extended her hands over her husband's head, seeking out the source of the problem. Leo stood nearby, only able to look on helplessly. He would have helped if his powers hadn't been stripped moments ago. Everyone else watched in anticipation.

Paige felt her healing energy course through her fingers until she located the injury. She felt the heat pass from her to him. "Please be okay," she muttered, closing her eyes at the same time.

Henry regained consciousness. He glanced around, suddenly realizing that he was no longer standing, but instead, lying on the couch. "Uh, Paige?" he questioned.

She sighed with relief. "Relax. Now you're okay," she stressed to him.

Paige's eyes watered and she bent down to kiss him on the lips. Normally, she wasn't one to let her emotions run away with her but she felt as if she had come so close to losing him forever. During his time spent captive in the Underworld, she really came to terms with what it was like to be in Prue and Piper's position. She couldn't stand the thought of Henry being gone for good. So how had her sisters found the strength to deal with that same possibility when it came to Leo and Andy?

They broke apart from the kiss.

"You know what? I think you're right?" Henry began. "I am feeling better. Almost," he teased. "How about planting another one right here next?" he indicated, pointing towards the corner of his lips.

Paige smiled, submitting to his request. Suddenly, some coughing sounds that were accompanied by some slight snickering noises, erupted from the background. Then, Phoebe decided to verbally interrupt the moment.

"Uh, sorry to break up the _Hallmark _moment here," she cracked. "Because, I for one, am completely relieved that Henry is back home and safe. "But," she stressed, "there really are some other things that we need to be addressing." Quickly, she turned on her oldest sister. "Like, how Prue could just leave the Power of Three incantation with a clan of demons working for the Triad? What were you thinking?"

Paige sat on the couch beside Henry, who had managed to pull himself up into a sitting position beside her. All attention was now on Prue.

"Uh, yeah. Prue? That wasn't the smartest thing," the youngest sister added.

At first, Prue pretended to look offended but then slowly, a big smirk broke out across her face as she reached back around to the other back pocket on her pants, pulling out, and revealing another piece of paper she still had in her possession. After it was in full view, she responded to their concerns.

"What? Do you mean this?" She straightened it out so that the incantation was in full view of everyone looking at it.

Confused, Phoebe questioned Prue about what she now saw her sister holding up in the air. "Wait, you mean, you still had it on you the whole time?"

Prue sighed. She folded the missing page, from the Book of Shadows, back up. "Pheebs, give me some credit, will ya'? I may have been out of the loop for five years but I'm definitely not that stupid. I only needed it on me so the spell would work."

"What spell?" asked Paige.

"An illusion casting spell," Prue clarified. "While you guys were scrying, I found it when I went back over to look through the Book. Originally, I was just gonna' go for some type of protection spell but this sounded safer. Basically, it's sort of like a glamouring potion only instead of working on people it works on any inanimate objects. But the object you wish to project the illusion from has to be close by. So, then, I just took an empty page from the Book and cast the spell against that."

"Ah - right. So then our demon friend was left standing there looking at a blank page? I like it," Paige hitched, nodding her head in approval at the same time. "Good thinking!"

"Thank you," Prue accepted in a playful manner, arms crossed behind her back.

Phoebe placed her head down against her older sister's shoulder. "Uh, ya know I never really doubted you, right?" she joked.

Prue just rolled her eyes and nudged her sister playfully. Phoebe retracted a few steps to the side. However, Andy took the opportunity to step up beside Prue. Then, while leaning over, he whispered something against her ear.

"I really need to talk to you about something."

However, Prue's attention was pulled back in the other direction as her focus centered on the next statement made by Paige.

"But there is still that other problem that has to be addressed too," Paige spoke up, referring to the missing Ultimate Power incantation. "And right away." Suddenly, she noticed Phoebe rubbing against her shoulder and the discomfort she appeared to be experiencing.

"Honey, you okay?" Paige inquired. Standing up, she walked over to her sister's side. "Did you get hit or something?"

Suddenly, they had the attention of everyone in the room.

"I don't know. I didn't feel anything until just now but I think a fireball may have grazed me at the same time you were orbing us out." Phoebe rolled her sleeve up to her shoulder and then there it was in plain view. The burn mark.

"Here." Paige extended her hand and healed the minor infliction.

"So. What other problem was there?" Leo inquired, referring to Paige's comment made moments before. He looked between the three sisters. His curiosity had been awakened. Was it Gideon? Did they already know about him? "Does this have anything to do with Gideon?" he questioned, getting it out into the open.

The sisters were momentarily dumbstruck that Leo seemed to be aware of that particular, startling revelation. Paige returned to sit beside Henry.

"You already know about Gideon?" asked Paige.

"Yeah, he's still alive. The Afterlife Council knows that his soul never crossed back," he explained, while looking between all three of them. But as he looked, he noted that something seemed off. They had that look. That familiar look that told him they already knew more than he obviously did. "What?"

The sisters glanced between each other before Prue broke in to answer. "Leo, Gideon's not just alive," she opened up. Then, she sighed before continuing on. "He's one of the Triad members."

"What?" He was beyond shocked.

"Uh, yeah. Turns out he's the mysterious member behind the scenes," Phoebe added. "And we're pretty sure he was the one behind Molly's kidnapping over a year ago. Which makes sense, since only him and the other Elders would have known where to find her. Apparently, it looks like they wanted her powers to give to 'fake Christy' from last year and to match up with Billie's. To take us out."

"How the hell is that even possible?" Leo exclaimed. "A Triad? How is he even alive?"

Paige shrugged. "We don't know all that," she admitted. "I mean, the only reason we even know about him to begin with is because of Billie."

"A darklighter working with the Triad kidnapped her and brought her to the Underworld. And to Gideon," explained Phoebe. Then, she glanced at her watch. "Ooh," she stressed. "We're so late for picking up Piper. This discussion is going to have to be put on hold. I'll take my car, who's coming with?"

"I'm coming," Leo automatically volunteered.

"I'll go!" Paige offered up. She stood up from the couch before turning back to Henry. "You'll be okay until I get back?" she asked, hating to leave his side so soon.

"Go!" he instructed, pointing towards the door. "Piper needs you more right now."

Paige smiled, bent back down, and offered him one last quick peck on the lips. "Actually, Piper's sure in for alot after she gets herself settled back in here."

"No kidding!" Phoebe grabbed for her purse and keys, heading for the door. Then, she halted her steps in that direction. "Prue? You coming?" she asked.

Before responding, Prue glanced over at Andy, remembering that there was something that he wanted to talk to her about. "Uh, no. Go ahead," she finally answered. "Take Leo and Paige with you. The rest of us will be waiting here until you get back."

"You sure?" Phoebe pushed.

"Yeah, go on," she nodded back.

"Okay. We'll be back in a few. And roll out the red welcoming carpet before we get back," Phoebe joked. "That way we can distract her long enough while we come up with some good enough reasons to explain why the coffee table's missing."

"And why there's no club for her to run anymore," Paige added on as both sisters finally moved to leave.

The door could be heard shutting after both Phoebe and Paige exited the manor. Victor spoke up and volunteered to check up on the kids while Henry excused himself from the room to get a glass of water. Prue and Andy were left standing alone together in the living room.

**ooooo **

Billie waited for his answer. The question had come out rather forceful but she didn't want to beat around the bush. Especially, if all this meant what she thought it did.

Coop just stared for a moment. At first, he didn't know how to respond because it almost came across rather harsh-sounding, more like an accusation than just a question.

"Why is that important? Or, maybe I should be asking, why did you need me to tell you?" he turned the minor interrogation back on her.

"Because of what your past is all about. If there's anything that I've been learning over the past months is that keeping secrets only seems to make things worse. Which is why I'm getting rid of mine right now," she added after a second thought. "After I'm done here with you."

"Billie, you've got me completely lost. What secrets are you talking about?"

Billie rolled her eyes. Sighing, she turned around and sat down on the couch. Coop stood where he was waiting for her to explain herself to him.

"Coop, I know, okay? I know all about who you used to be. That you died. And that your name was Richard. You had a sister named Jenna who was murdered. And I know that you were accused of doing it." Then there was a brief pause. "And I also know about the baby."

Coop glanced around in confusion before shrugging his shoulders. "Okay? So, Phoebe told you about my past. I'm not seeing what the problem is here, Billie?"

"Phoebe?" she repeated, a little taken aback. "No, I read it in the newspaper articles. Wait!" she stopped. "Phoebe already knows about all of it?"

Coop moved to take a seat beside Billie on the couch.

"Yes, she knows," he confirmed. "But if she didn't tell you, what I'm curious to know is how you just happened to come across it? And what exactly were you just talking about a few seconds ago? About coming clean with something? Does it have anything to do with this?"

Billie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Uh, yeah, you can say that," she answered him back. "Okay, here it goes," she mumbled to herself. She opened her eyes back up. "The truth is that I think I may know who that missing baby is. The one belonging to your dead sister?"

When she looked him straight in the face, he was staring back at her with a blank expression at first. Next, he appeared a bit surprised but didn't say anything in response to it. Billie took that as a sign that he was either waiting for her to continue or definitely wanted her to continue.

"Her name's Lana. But do you remember that girl from last year? The one that I found in the Underworld and brought back with me to the Manor?"

"I think so," he answered. "She was your sister or something wasn't she? Christy? But wasn't she too far gone because of the Underworld? Because I thought you weren't able to save her?"

Billie stood up and started to pace.

"Yeah, I wasn't. But that's because it wasn't her." Then she stopped her pacing and stood facing Coop. "Her real name was Lana. And this is were it gets worse. She resurrected because she's a part of the Triad. But the other part of her is mortal."

"What?" Coop stood up, the news finally settling in. "Billie, how do you even know all this?"

"Because that's how JD was able to find me in the Underworld," she shared. "After I was taken and brought there to Gideon and the rest of the Triad, she told him where to find me. And then JD made this stupid promise to help her find her mortal family in return so I agreed to go along with it. Only when I cast a spell for some help, it led me directly to you. And those articles," she finished rambling off.

Coop took a long moment to think. He then took in a deep breath of air, proceeding to release one next that was just as deep. He honestly had no idea how to digest all of this. The first thing he even thought was whether it could even be possible. Sure, true enough, he had thought about it but it had been over twenty years. Could it really be her? But the feelings of relief were short-lived as he quickly pieced together how this would pose a problem. A big problem. The sisters were on a mission, which was to decimate the Triad and anyone who was a part of it and that would now include this girl too. He assessed how easily this could cause a rift between him and Phoebe if this particular girl did turn out to be his sister's missing baby. He had suspected a connection to demonic origins before this but of all demons - the Triad?

"So, that's what you've been keeping from them?" he asked Billie point blank. "That the girl they thought was your sister is still alive and actually part of the Triad?"

"Yup. Not smart, I know. But I just figured that if we found her family or if we could strip her powers somehow that it wouldn't be a problem to worry about anymore. Only, now, they're definitely going to kill me," she stressed, rolling her eyes.

"Well, they'll probably be mad but I somehow doubt they'd actually kill you," he laughed lightly. "But you should tell them," he advised. "Now, Lana? That's what you said her name was, right?"

Billie nodded her head. "Yeah, Lana."

"Where is she now?"

"Well, JD and I brought her to a shelter. And she hasn't been using her powers. Well, I should actually say, as far as I know she hasn't used them," she amended after thinking about it. "Anyway, that's supposed to help so the Underworld can't find her."

"JD?"

"Oh, yeah. He's just a whitelighter friend of mine. We hang out sometimes and he's asked me for some help a couple of times," explained Billie.

Coop nodded in response.

Billie sighed. "But Coop? What are you going to do about everything if it really does turn out to be her? I mean, about Phoebe?" she clarified, feeling some regret that things were now heading in that direction.

Coop released a faint smile. "It's alright, Billie. You really don't have to worry about me and Phoebe. I can handle whatever the truth is," he offered. "But, maybe you should be going. Especially if the sisters get back. They might need your help with something."

"Right."

Billie took steps in the direction of the door. After opening it, she issued him a quick wave before closing the door and leaving for good. Coop arose from the couch. He appeared to be stuck inside of a dazed state as he stood there contemplating what all this meant.

**ooooo **

Phoebe and Paige were almost down the long corridor that led to Piper's room. Leo trailed them from behind. As they approached the door, both sisters were greeted by the sight of Piper taking small steps across the floor.

"Hey, look at you!" Phoebe greeted in a teasing manner. "Getting better and better." She walked over to Piper and embraced her. "Sorry we're late."

Piper returned the hug. "Yeah, well, practice makes perfect, right? Especially, when you're several hours late!" she stressed back to her sister, but in a teasing fashion as well. They broke apart from the hug. "What took you guys so long? And where's Prue?"

Phoebe gritted her teeth.

"Uh, yeah," Paige cut in. "Trouble of the big _D_ variety if you get what we mean. Give me a big squeeze. There's time to stress later." Paige was the next to reach out and hug their sister. "Prue's waiting back home with the others," she answered. "She figured you could use another visitor instead," she added, as they broke apart.

Piper looked on with a puzzled expression as both her sisters shared a smile and a knowing expression of their own. Then, all of Piper's attention was suddenly averted to the man walking around the corner and into the room.

"Leo?" she exclaimed in surprise. A big smile broke out.

Leo smiled back and walked over to hug her. "I told you I'd be back. And I meant it," he responded to her before they broke apart. "I'm just sorry I couldn't be around here when you really needed me," he added, feeling the guilt.

"Hey, what matters is you're here now," she countered. "But how did you manage to pull it off that quickly? Because when I left, it looked a bit ... grim," she settled on.

Leo sighed. "Yeah, well. We all reached an agreement."

"Uh-oh. What kind of an agreement?" Piper inquired nervously.

"Yeah, vague responses like that in this family aren't usually a good thing," Phoebe interjected, shaking her head back and forth. "So, how bad is it?"

Leo looked between the three sisters before answering the question.

"Ha," he sighed. "I had my powers temporarily suspended. And Emeritus and the others are still Elders, but believe me, it was better than the alternatives," he rushed to explain. "For all of us. But, at least now, they've been removed from the Elder Council," he offered up on the bright side.

"For how long?" asked Paige.

"The Elders?" he inquired back.

"No. You," Paige clarified. She realized how much it would stink that Leo would be without his powers in case an emergency situation should arise.

Leo shook his head. "Not sure," he admitted honestly.

"Okay, well that bites!" exclaimed Phoebe.

"Yeah, so what does all of this mean for the magic school now?" Paige was curious to know.

Piper sighed. "Well, it won't be forever. But can we please get out of here now?" she requested of them. "I just want to go home. I think I've seen enough hospital decor to last me a lifetime!" She rolled her eyes.

"I can't argue with you there!" Paige cracked in a humorous way.

The sisters smirked and moved to grab her things. Phoebe reached to grab for her overnight bag sitting on the bed. They had brought her some changes of clothes, books to read, and other things to do during her time spent in the hospital after coming out of the coma. Paige reached for her coat and then handed it to Leo. Then he assisted his wife with putting it on. Piper took small steps in the direction of the door with Leo helping to support her from the side and with her sisters leading the way out.

**ooooo**

Andy followed Prue into the kitchen.

"Prue, are you listening to me?" he inquired anxiously.

"Andy, I'm listening. But it's already past dinner time and I need to make something for the kids to eat," she protested. "I'm sorry the call took that long but it was important."

Shortly after Leo and her sisters had left to pick up Piper, they hadn't gotten the opportunity to talk because Prue had been interrupted by a phone call coming into the house from Agent Murphy. And much to Andy's dismay, the conversation had lasted almost a half-hour. In the meantime, Andy had distracted himself with keeping his daughter preoccupied, who wanted to finish playing her game of Chutes and Ladders_. _That, and he had gotten the opportunity to become better acquainted with Henry. They both were intrigued to discover that they shared a similar passion involving career choices in the field of criminal justice. Henry was a probation officer while Andy was an Inspector. And, now, there was also some comfort in knowing that they both shared a mortal status.

Prue walked over and opened the refrigerator door while Andy just watched her and after observing what was available, or rather the lack of what was available, she mumbled to herself. "Great. Better add shopping to the list." Then, she closed the door and proceeded to one of the cabinets. Pulling out some boxes of macaroni and cheese, she placed the boxes down onto the counter top and turned to address Andy. "So what is it?"

"What is it?" came his rhetorical response. Andy proceeded to pull out a chair at the kitchen table and sit down. He ran his hand over his face. "Well, tell ya' what?" he began. "Why don't we start with Inspector Richardson? And then take it from there."

Prue was at the sink filling up a pot of water so the macaroni could start to boil. She listened, turning around with the pot in her hand and placed it on the stove top. With a questioning look firmly in place, she turned the knob so the burner would ignite.

"Okay. So, what does he have to do with anything?" she proceeded to question him, while opening up the boxes and placing the cheese packets to the side.

Andy laughed. "Well, where should I begin. I guess by letting you know who got to meet his new partner today," he began to enlighten her with the disturbing news. "And take an even bigger guess on who that partner just so happened to turn out to be?" came his rhetorical question.

Prue froze and stopped what she was doing. Her eyes widened as she pieced together exactly what it was he was telling her.

"Uh-huh. Exactly," Andy answered in response to reaction. "And it gets even better. When I got a look at my new assignment today, imagine my surprise when the name Jenkins turned up in the case file. It took a few moments for it to register but then I finally realized that the Billie Jenkins listed as the daughter of the victims was in fact the same Billie Jenkins living here. Of course, I figured that out with a little nudge coming from my partner there," he added on sarcastically.

Prue was shocked. "Wait. You've been assigned to the Jenkins murders?" she questioned. "But their deaths happened last year. Why are you being made to investigate it now?"

Andy shrugged. "That doesn't matter Prue. There are no statutes of limitations on murder. It's an unsolved case, end of story. But I'm bringing it up to you because I'm sure you know where I'm going with this," he pointed out to her.

Prue stared back but didn't answer him right away. Then suddenly alerted to the fact that the water was now boiling, she grabbed for the boxes and poured the contents into the water. Andy sighed, turning his head to the side, and rolled his eyes once more. All he wanted was her complete attention for a few minutes. Was that too much to ask for? Then, they both heard the front door to the Manor opening in the background but ignored it.

"Prue? I saw the crime scene photos. There aren't any leads. Now, what I want to know is if I'm looking at another dead end case straight in the face because let me tell you. This time, Richardson's no Morris. He won't let this go. Are these deaths in any way related to what you do? And to what Billie and you guys are?"

Prue sighed. "If you mean demons, then yes," she finally answered, looking him straight in the face. "And it's still a very sore spot with Billie," she shared. "The Triad had her parents killed last year to get them out of the way. I guess they had a daughter that went missing awhile ago and Billie went searching for her," she explained.

"Right. Christy," Andy volunteered. "Let me guess? That just so happens to be demon-related too?"

Prue nodded. "Yeah, it is."

Andy smirked, releasing a sardonic laugh. "Well, that's just great. Because Richardson wants to have her brought in for questioning."

"Billie?" Prue questioned, letting the news settle in. She stopped what she was in the middle of doing and looked Andy straight in the face. "Wait a minute, Andy, you can't make her do that!"

"Yes, Billie!" he answered. "And sorry, Prue, but I really don't have much of a choice on this one. Only, now, what am I suppose to say to him? Sorry, Daniel, but it just so happens that Billie's really my daughter. And, by the way, she's a real witch too so don't sweat it, demons coming after her or the people she's close to on a daily basis is just a normal, every day occurrence. We don't really need to question Miss Jenkins, do we?"

His mocking spiel had ended but they were both suddenly alerted to someone standing at the entrance to the kitchen. It was Billie and both Prue and Andy stared, a little surprised to find her standing there.

"Sorry," she immediately apologized, gritting down on her teeth. "I'm really not trying to interrupt anything but I just walked in on Wyatt and Molly fighting again. I think they're orbing the game pieces to Chutes and Ladders back and forth across the room. Victor and Henry look a little lost on what exactly to do out there," she laughed, pointing over her shoulder.

"I'll go see about it," Andy volunteered, immediately getting up from the chair.

As he went to squeeze by Billie while exiting the kitchen, he moved past her with some brief hand contact against her shoulder, and offered her a gentle smile. Billie looked back at Prue and proceeded to walk into the kitchen. Prue turned back around for the refrigerator, opening up the freezer door.

"So Henry's back," Billie offered up cheerfully. "That's good for Paige."

Billie rested her hands against the kitchen island, picking up the plastic spoon to stir the macaroni noodles around. Prue turned around with some small boxes in hand, placing them on top of the island away from the stove top.

"Yeah, it's good for Paige," she agreed, although in a distracted manner. "But having to think up something for dinner isn't good for me," she joked. Prue lifted one of the boxes up for Billie to see. "So, if you're staying to eat, I'm afraid TV dinners are all that's on the menu for tonight?"

Billie smirked, reaching over for the box. "Nah, that's alright." She placed it back down. "I'll just grab something on campus later on. But thanks," she laughed.

"I say thank god Piper's coming back home," Prue cracked. "She's definitely the chef in this family. Not me," she stressed.

Billie laughed again. Prue picked up the hot mitts to lift the steaming pot. Carrying it over to the sink, she poured the contents into the strainer, emptying it of all the hot water. Billie, deciding to lend a hand, went to the refrigerator to retrieve some milk and butter. Then, Prue decided to break the news to her daughter about what she and Andy had been discussing before she came in here.

"Uh, Billie? Listen," Prue began tentatively.

"Yeah, what?" she inquired.

Prue brought the drained noodles back over to the stove. Then, Billie handed her both of the dairy products that were needed to finish preparing the food.

"Thanks," Prue accepted. "Um, Andy and I were just talking about something that kind of concerns you now. Actually, that's not really true," she amended. "It really concerns you." She emptied the powered cheese into the pot. Next, she scooped some butter and poured some milk. Then she began to stir.

"What concerns me?" Billie pushed when her mother remained silent for too long.

"Well, it's about your parents," she admitted.

_My parents? _thought Billie. However, Billie quickly acknowledged that the one year anniversary of their deaths was fast approaching. It would be in a few months and she reflected on how quickly time seemed to fly by.

"Billie?" Prue called out, pulling her out of her daze.

"Oh, sorry," she answered back, shaking it off. "I sort of zoned out there for a minute. What about my parents?" she bit down against her lips gently.

Prue stared at her for a moment. "Andy's been assigned to investigate their case."

Billie's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Why? I thought it was supposed to be closed out," she protested. "The cops didn't find anything when it happened! And they won't find anything either because demons did it!"

"Billie, I already know all that. But all that means is that the case can be reopened at any time," she re-explained what Andy already told her. "And, unfortunately, it gets worse. Our friend, Inspector Richardson? The one from the night of the club fire, the same guy who's been following us around? Well, he also happens to be Andy's new partner."

"What - no way!" Billie exclaimed. Uh, freaky coincidence or not?

"Yes. Way!" Prue cracked in response. "And Andy's going to be under alot of pressure on this one," she explained to her. "His partner wants you brought in for questioning."

"No, I can't. Forget it. Why do they even need to talk to me again, I already told them everything that I could?" Billie panicked.

"I don't know. But, look, calm down," she advised, picking up the panic in her daughter's voice. Granted, there was a reason to feel alarmed because Billie would have to lie. "First off, Andy will be there too. So, I'm sure if the questioning turns into any uncharted territory, he can guide you through it. As for the rest, just keep it all simple. Just stick to anything you may have stated before, don't add anything new and everything should be okay," she finished.

Billie was prepared to protest further until they heard the sound of the front door opening. It was followed by some familiar voices and some very excited shouts coming from the boys.

**ooooo **

The front door to the manor opened and in walked Phoebe followed by Paige.

"We're home everybody!" Phoebe shouted out into the open.

Leo and Piper followed the other sisters inside when all of a sudden Victor came into view followed by Henry, Andy, and all of the kids.

"Mommy! Daddy!" little Wyatt screeched as he came charging at them. Chris followed in his brother's wake with his own happy shouts of cheer.

Piper felt the small arms encircle her upper thigh and lower leg, but she knew she couldn't reach down to pick them up. Leo bent down to pick Wyatt up and the little boy leaned over to squeeze around his mother's neck tightly. Piper planted a kiss on him before both she and Leo looked down to catch sight of little Chris.

"ME! ME!" he called out, arms outstretched, and fingers moving back and forth.

Phoebe and Paige shared a laugh of amusement. Leo placed Wyatt back down and reached for Chris, who imitated his brother's actions from moments before and then he was placed back down onto the ground as well.

"Hey!" she greeted them in a sugary tone. "Boy, did I miss you guys?"

Piper looked up just in time to catch both Prue and Billie making their way through the dining room and into the foyer to join all the others.

"Hey, hey, stranger!" Prue greeted with a smile. She stepped forward and hugged her sister.

Billie stepped forward next. "I'm so happy you're back," she offered.

After breaking apart, Piper noticed Molly still in the background. Molly hadn't moved and she had remained by her father's side. She was still a little shy because she remembered meeting her, she didn't know her Auntie Piper all that well, especially since she had disappeared for an extended period of time. Over the course of the last few months, she had gotten comfortable with Auntie Phoebe and Auntie Paige more. So they didn't feel so much like strangers anymore.

Leo guided Piper as she took some more steps forward. She was greeted first by Victor, her father, whom she stopped to hug and that was followed by Henry. Then, she stopped just in front of Andy and reached out so she could offer him a hug too.

"Hey Andy!" Piper greeted. Pulling back, she attempted to bend down a little bit to address her niece. "And Molly? Hi, there," she offered. However, the little girl still shied away some as she pressed her face against her father's side, hiding part of her face. "Aw, that's okay," she offered. "But I just wanted to thank you for that pretty picture you drew for me while I was in the hospital. It helped me to get better."

Molly slightly acknowledged her words with a small nod of her head. Piper smiled but it began to fade just as quickly when she was alerted to a certain smell in the air. She straightened her posture out. While sniffing, she turned to look at all the others who appeared to catch onto the smell as well.

Phoebe and Paige glanced at each other and sniffed.

Victor sniffed and then Henry.

Then Andy, Prue, and Billie sniffed as Prue's eyes bulged. The smoke alarm sounded.

Leo and Piper both looked to each other. "Uh, what is that smell?" Piper finally blurted out what was on everyone's mind.

"THE MACARONI AND CHEESE!" Prue and Billie both shouted at the same time. Prue turned around and ran as Billie followed her. She had completely forgotten to turn off the stove.

Piper's eyes widened at the revelation and the chaotic scene breaking out before her. Slowly, everyone else followed in the direction of the kitchen too. Piper was the last to trail behind them as a simple smile broke out across her face. The thought of Prue trying to cook made her want to laugh.

Yup.

It was good to be back home.

* * *

**To Be Continued: **Okay, so I hope you liked the new chapter. Thought I would end this one with a little bit of humor because there are plenty more climatic cliffhangers in the wings, **lol. **Seriously, thanks for taking the time to read. And please don't forget to review.

**Coming Up: **The Elders confront the Charmed Ones regarding the truth surrounding Gideon. Piper continues with her recovery and comes to terms with the chaos that has ensued in her absence. The sisters struggle to find out what happened to the Ultimate Power incantation. Also, the truth regarding Lana threatens to drive a wedge between Coop and Phoebe. And some unforeseen consequences may have been created out of Billie keeping the truth from the sisters.

**Stay Tuned ... **I'll be back. **:o) **


	32. Would You Believe Me If I Told You?

A big thanks goes out to all my awesome readers/reviewers. You guys are totally great and what keeps this story going.

**Kall, charmed1979, PrUe AnD AnDy,** **charmingbrenda, cancer-chris, charmedgirl-alyssaphoebe, WelshCanuck, and du1387. **

All your reviews are the best. I know some of you have requested some more sisterly bonding in your reviews. I've been trying to integrate some of that through those lighter/joking moments between them. Sometimes it's some one-on-one or three of them together. **lol, **But, truthfully, I am finding it a little difficult to get all four sisters together because of all the continuous drama going down. But I'll see if I can get a bigger moment in there at some point, I just don't know when.

Also happy to note that some of you enjoy the lighter moments in there, **hehe. **

**lol, **and I'm intrigued about some of your reactions to the cop. And some of you even have guesses on who/what you think he is. That's good because that will continue to unfold and reveal itself in time. He's definitely not meant to be liked. **;o)**

The relationships will continue to work themselves out and grow. So, I'm really glad to hear that many of you are enjoying that aspect as well.

**Authors Note: **Oh, I just wanted to let my readers know that I've decided to work on a sequel when this one is finished. It won't be for awhile seeing as I still have a little bit to go with this one. However, if you happen to be interested, you can click on my profile to get a title and summary on what my next installment will be about. I updated it not too long ago.

And now we **continue** with the story:

* * *

**Chapter 31: Would You Believe Me If I Told You?**

Billie approached the front doors to the precinct and then slipped right in.

Her anxious feelings, buried in the pit of her stomach, accompanied her all the way down the hall. Suddenly confused on where to go next, she stopped. While shoving both her hands into her side pockets, she glanced around until her eyes came to rest on a familiar face.

"Billie?" his voice rang out. It was Andy, or rather, her father.

"Hey," she called back.

He was holding a cup of coffee in his hand. With one hand still in her pocket, she waved at him and walked over in his direction, feeling some of the tension leave her body. At least she was slightly placated with knowing that he would be one of the Inspectors present during the interrogation, even if she did barely know him. Besides, it wasn't like anyone was really aware yet of the real connection they shared. Which is probably a good thing, she amended on second thought. He waved her over and, after approaching him, he led her down another small hallway in a new direction, as other colleagues passing by offered him some muffled greetings. Andy simply nodded back at them.

"Inspector, how's it going?" one of the them addressed Andy more forwardly.

"Hey, how ya' doing?" he offered back to the other officer in somewhat of a hurry.

"Good," he answered. The officer stopped to inform him of something else. "Richardson was looking for ya' a few minutes ago," he told Andy, pointing back over his shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks," Andy sounded less than thrilled by the prospect. The other cop moved on and Andy turned around to address her next. "Listen, the questions are just standard procedure," he tried to offer as they walked side by side down the rest of the hallway. "Keep what you know short and sweet - meaning straight to the point. And don't let yourself feel intimidated in there," he advised. "Remember there's no evidence here to the contrary."

Billie smirked. "You sound like my lawyer," she cracked.

Andy smiled back. "Nah, trust me, it won't come to that," he tried to reassure her. "You'll just answer a few simple questions and be out of here in no time."

"Good." She took a deep breath and visibly relaxed.

Andy opened a door and guided her inside to a small square room. A table, with three chairs, was positioned in the middle of the room and both the floor and the surrounding walls were covered in a gray and white interior which gave off a cold unwelcoming feeling.

"You can just take a seat," he instructed gently. "And if there's anything you need in the mean time, just ask. Like something to drink maybe?"

Billie declined gently and issued a faint smile in return. "Oh, no. Thanks. I'm fine."

"Alright then." Andy sighed and stood with his hands to his hips before moving to leave. "Well, just let me go check and see what's keeping him and then we'll get this over with, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Billie agreed, sheepishly, while pulling out a chair and taking a seat.

Andy left the room and Billie watched him go. After the door closed, the silence that she met all around her was practically deafening. Her thoughts traveled to what would be said and how she would say it but that was only until the ringing of her cell phone broke her out of it. Quickly, she reached for her back pocket and pulled it out. After checking the screen briefly, she noticed that the caller ID registered as Phoebe.

_Hm, wonder what's up? _came her immediate thought.

"Hello?" Billie answered.

**ooooo**

_**Golden Gate Park ...**_

Phoebe walked at Coop's side, her arm linked with his.

They were strolling down the pathway together and she suddenly tilted her head to rest against his shoulder. She figured they needed some quality time away from everyone else; therefore, she had suggested this walk. All of her energy and attention had been directed everywhere except on her relationship with Coop and it was only about to get worse - she knew that for sure because experience taught her to prepare for the worst. She and her sisters needed to find that incantation and there would be Gideon and the Triad to take on and finish off. Piper had been home for a couple days now and most of the focus had been geared towards her and her recovery but at least the boys had finally been reunited with their parents. They had filled Leo and Piper in with mostly all of the happenings during their absence. Suffice to say, it was alot to take in but at least the secrets and any revelations were out on the table for everyone to deal with. Piper knew about the club, the truth regarding Billie was out in the open, and they all accepted that coming together was the only way to beat the threats they were facing. Now, they just needed the incantation.

Coop sighed. "So what happens next?" he inquired. "I gather that any wedding plans should probably be put on hold until after everything."

"Yeah, that would probably be best," she agreed rather solemnly. "In order for there to be a wedding, we should definitely make sure I'm going to be around first, don't ya' think?" she tried joking.

Her statement was followed by her own light laugh but Coop didn't find the humor behind it. "Phoebe?" he protested. "That's not going to happen."

She snorted. "Oh really? Well it might! No incantation means no new power. No new power, then we're screwed! And we've looked everywhere for it too. It's just nowhere to be found. Which means that I don't even want to think about what that means," she cracked.

"Nah, it's probably just misplaced somewhere," Coop tried to reassure her. "How would the Underworld even know to look for it at the Manor? You said so yourself. Nobody knew that you had it," he reminded her, trying to take her mind away from the worst case scenario.

"Okay, fine. And then if that's the case, how the hell could Paige have been so damn careless about it?" she vented towards her baby sister. "She probably took it out at some point hoping to use it to get Henry back," she accused, sounding somewhat bitter over being outnumbered on the issue when it came to involving the incantation for the purposes of the rescue attempt. "This isn't some small slip-up we're talking about here. The longer we go without it, the better the chances the Triad have to make successful moves against us."

"Eh," Coop sighed. "Try and give her break," he offered up in defense of Paige. "I'm sure she feels bad enough as it is. Wouldn't you?"

"Coop, the problem is that there's no time to be feeling bad. I never would have taken it out of hiding let alone misplaced it to begin with, okay? The Triad can't be stopped without the Ultimate Power and they have to be be stopped, no matter what!"

The sudden turn of the conversation regarding the Triad, combined with Phoebe's bold declaration about getting rid of them at any cost, made Coop's thoughts shift back to Billie's revelation from a couple days ago. The one involving a girl that could quite possibly be his real niece? Billie said that she was going to break the news to the sisters but the bad part about it was this girl's connection to the Triad. Quickly, he wondered why Phoebe hadn't brought it up yet and he had automatically assumed that this particular subject was the reason behind this little walking excursion in the first place. Deciding that it was probably just too difficult for her to bring up, he broke the ice instead.

He released a low whistle. "So, then, I take it that's why we're here? Because of what this means about Lana?"

Phoebe stopped walking rather suddenly. She stepped away from him and just stood there staring back at him. Confusion had spread through Phoebe in a flash and the feeling was reflected in her facial expression as well. What in the world was he talking about?

"Lana?" she questioned. "Who's Lana? No, I came here with you because I thought we could spend some time together. You know, away from all the never-ending chaos that's been erupting all around us over these past few months? Or at least, that's what I thought I wanted this to be about."

Now it was Coop's turn to look completely confused. He thought that Billie was going to tell them. Why hadn't she told them? "Wait, so you don't know?" he inquired.

Phoebe laughed nervously. "Okay, Coop, I'm feeling pretty jittery right about now. And I don't mean that in a good way so can you please tell me what exactly it is I'm supposed to know but apparently don't? Because this doesn't sound like it's going to be good. So just spill it!"

He crossed his arms and sighed wearily. "I'm sorry," he attempted to apologize before breaking the news. "I just assumed that Billie would have already mentioned it."

"Wait, Billie?" she questioned, putting up a hand. "What does any of this have to do with Billie?" She looked away from him. "Okay," she sighed deeply before releasing a sardonic laugh and preparing for the news. "Now I know I'm not going to like this," she cracked, looking all around her. "Go ahead. Mentioned what?"

Coop took a moment before continuing. "Billie thinks she may have uncovered who my missing niece is," he began. "And the girl's name is Lana and she's here in San Francisco. But that's not the bad part."

"Uh-huh," she nodded back. "The bad part would be what? That's she's a demon?" Phoebe vented, the shift to this particular topic upsetting her. They had this discussion before about demonic origins but she never anticipated the problem staring her in the face so soon.

It came out a little louder than she had intended and an older couple passing by stopped to look at them.

"Phoebe, keep your voice down," Coop warned her as they both glanced around, catching the older man and woman staring at them.

Phoebe plastered on a big fake smile and waved them off. "Yup. Hi there, bye. Nothing to see here."

The couple gave her a dirty look before they continued walking in the direction they were originally heading in. Phoebe rolled her eyes before turning back to Coop. He watched for her upcoming reaction.

"Not just any demon, Phoebe," Coop continued. He had her full attention again. "The Triad," he finished and then he waited for the inevitable freak out.

Phoebe stood there shell-shocked. Then, she broke out into a fit of laughter. "Wait, you're kidding, right?" Her smile faded when Coop shook his head solemnly. "You're not kidding?" she corrected herself. "Oh my god, then this has to be some kind of twisted, cosmic joke!"

Coop shut his eyes. "No. Afraid not." He reopened them and stared straight into Phoebe's eyes. Then he picked up where he had left off. "You remember the girl Billie found last year? The one she thought was her sister? Well, I guess that's who Lana really is. Supposedly."

"Whoa! What?" she practically screeched, taking a few steps away from him. She took a careful glance around at her surroundings and remembered to lower her voice. "Do you mean as in demon Christy? The fake impostor that Billie killed last year? That demon! Do you have any idea what this could mean? She could be the reason the incantation is missing!" her thoughts immediately raced to their biggest concern.

"Phoebe, calm down. I know it sounds bad but that's not it, believe me," he stressed to her. "Billie and that whitelighter, JD, I think his name is - they've been keeping close tabs on her. She's been trying to stay undetected by the Underworld and the rest of the Triad."

Phoebe's laugh filled the air but she was far from amused. "Okay, hold on a minute. I know you didn't just tell me to calm down when we're talking about the Triad and a girl that helped my niece try to obliterate me and my sisters in our own home last year!" she raised her voice again. "And I really don't know what the hell Billie's been thinking or doing in all of this but we're putting an end to this right now!"

She grabbed for her cell and paced back and forth in front of Coop.

"Phoebe?" he tried to protest.

"Oh, I don't think so. No! This is not happening," she chanted in a mantra, to nobody in particular, while dialing the number she sought. "And don't you 'Phoebe' me," she finally addressed him, pointing back at him.

She was in a state of utter disbelief. How could they have kept something like this a secret? Even more troubling, for how long? She quickly assessed how she had become so upset that she hadn't even bothered to ask him any of these questions. But the fact still remained that the same 'Christy' Billie had vanquished last year was somehow still alive. Which, on a more troubling thought, made sense if she really was a part of the unvanquishable Triad. After all, they could resurrect but she couldn't help but to feel the anger that had started to coarse through her at the thought of Coop and Billie not making her aware of such a threat sooner.

"Billie, pick up the damn phone!" her angry voice reverberated into the air around her.

Coop watched helplessly while she continued to pace impatiently, back and forth, waiting for the person on the other end to pick up. He looked upwards and noticed the dark clouds that had moved in and then felt the drizzle. "We should go," he announced. "Those are storm clouds that just moved in."

Phoebe looked up and felt the small droplets of water hit against her face and she moved in the direction of her parked car that could be found in the parking lot. She took quick steps in front of Coop and didn't give him the opportunity to catch up with her. The phone was still plugged next to her ear as she began raising her voice into it. Coop walked with his hands against his hips.

"Yeah, this is just great," he muttered.

**ooooo**

The rain pelted against the cemented parking lot, forming into even smaller rivulets that were running in the opposite direction of the two women. In the distance, the burnt-down rubble appeared piled up in clusters, spanning an area where a once thriving club used to reside. Piper stood underneath the umbrella, wide-eyed and speechless.

"I know. It's bad," Prue volunteered, after precious seconds passed without her sister muttering a single word. She bit down against her lower lip.

"Bad?" Piper's voice finally broke her silence. "Prue, this isn't bad. This is a disaster!" her voice hitched even higher. "What the heck am I supposed to do now? I have the boys to support and the bank accounts have all been drained from the liens because of all the medical bills and Leo doesn't even have a mortal job. I can not believe this happened."

"You're right, I know, and that's why Andy and I will be sticking around for awhile," Prue tried to offer up some reassurance. "We'll help out for as long as we can. Promise."

Slowly, Piper turned to her sister. She wore a long rain-jacket with a hood attached to it, the hood covering her head. Prue knew she was using it because of the rain but she also realized it was because her sister was still sensitive about her appearance, or rather, the noticeable lack of length to her hair.

"Prue, it's not just that," her sister reflected back on the former club's emotional significance to them. "I mean, the club's been the only constant we've had throughout everything. You know, away from our lives as witches and away from all the demons. And now it's all gone!"

"Yeah, like I said, sorry," Prue apologized, shifting her gaze away from her sister and down towards the ground.

"Yeah, uh, me too!" Piper vented wearily. She paused, releasing a heavy sigh. "But it's not your fault," she quickly amended. "What can I say, I mean, these kinds of things just happen to us so what else is new. I have a pretty strong feeling all of this still would have gone down with or without me. Stupid demons."

"Yeah, I guess we do lead a Charmed life," Prue tried to joke in stride. But Prue truly felt bad. Her sister's livelihood had practically been ripped right out from underneath her. Unfortunately, being a full-time witch didn't get the bills paid. So, in the end, it didn't matter whether demons had been responsible or if the fire had just been accidental in nature because either way it left Piper in the same predicament:

Without income.

Piper took some more steps towards the remains of the former P3. "So, then, what's with this Inspector you guys were telling me about?" she suddenly inquired. "Inspector Richards? Or was it Richardson? You said he was here that night playing twenty questions."

Prue followed in the footsteps of her sister. "Yeah, Richardson," she asserted. "Not exactly sure what his whole deal is yet. Andy can't even figure him out."

Piper glanced over at her sister. "But you said he was digging around for dirt on us and our past. Do you think he knows about us?"

Prue sighed. She shuffled her feet against the ground before answering and Piper brought her attention back to the destruction sprawled out in front of her. "Honestly, I don't have a clue."

Piper turned to look at her sister again. "Well, what did Agent Murphy say? You mentioned he happened to call before I got back home?"

The sound of thunder roared overhead, grabbing the attention of both sisters. They shot their heads up towards the gray sky as lightening bolts followed, dancing across the sky in zigzag patterns. Both pairs of eyes followed the path they took and then suddenly, the rain began to pelt down even heavier as their surroundings became blurred by the intense pounding of a rain storm.

"We should go," Prue spoke up. "I promised Paige to have the car back in an hour."

Prue dashed back in the direction of the car, carefully avoiding any big puddles blocking her path along the way. The winds had picked up, blowing against the umbrellas with such force. Piper trailed behind, still intent on receiving an answer.

"Prue?" she shouted through the heavy sound of rain. "You didn't answer the question. What did Agent Murphy find out?"

"Nothing!" Prue shouted back. "He just said he kept running into dead ends."

"Dead ends?"

"Yeah. You know? As in nowhere to go. Nothing to find," Prue stressed in a teasing fashion. "Otherwise known as a dead end."

"Ha-ha, I'm laughing over here" Piper mocked in return.

A few feet ahead, Prue smirked. "So am I."

Taking the joking in stride, Piper immediately retorted with a comeback of her own. "Tell ya' what. When I get over there, I'm seriously going to consider giving into my sudden urge to blow you up. How about that?" she cracked. "Then you'll really know what a dead end feels like."

In a small childish display, Prue turned her head and responded with a quick flick of her tongue straight in Piper's direction. Her sister's response was to roll her eyes.

"That's real cute, Prue," Piper smirked. "When did we decide to cast a spell and time-travel back to kindergarten?"

"Hm," Prue played along, pretending to think about it. "Actually, my mind takes me back to a time when a certain 'someone' with knee high socks, her own closet assortment of over-sized sweaters, and a year's worth of steel braces," she stressed, "used to find it mildly appropriate to engage our annoying baby sister with the same gesture."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Shut-up!"

Prue smirked.

Piper pointed at her. "And the reference to the knee socks was a low blow, by the way."

Both sisters shared a laugh as they reached the green buggy belonging to Paige. After bringing down her umbrella, Prue quickly unlocked the doors and both sisters made a hasty exit out of the rain and into the vehicle. Prue started the ignition and the window wipers starting swaying back and forth against the mass of water hitting against the windshield. Finally, the car pulled out from the parking lot and onto the main road.

**ooooo**

After she had answered, Billie immediately picked up on the traces of anger that were laced inside the tone of Phoebe's voice. "Uh, hey," she drew out tentatively. "What's up?"

"What's up?" Phoebe reiterated in a nasty tone. "What's up is that you can get your butt home right now so that we can fix our newest problem, that's what. I'm sure you're familiar with it, the one that starts with the name Lana?"

_Uh-oh!_

Billie's eyes bulged, she sighed, shut her eyes, and rested her hand against her forehead as she spoke. "Phoebe, look, I wasn't trying to keep it a secret, I swear," she defended herself. "I just figured I could help out and then I was going to tell you guys. And I swear I had no idea this was going to lead back to Coop until a couple days ago."

"Billie? Get home!" Phoebe exclaimed. "We are so not discussing this over the phone."

She sighed. "Phoebe, I can't right now. I'm at the police station waiting to be questioned by Inspector Richardson. And I have no idea how long I'm gonna' be."

In truth, Billie had been so preoccupied the last couple days with the upcoming interrogation and fixating again on what had happened to her parents that she figured putting off the Lana revelation until afterwards wouldn't be that big of a deal. Apparently, she had been wrong because Coop must have beaten her to it and Phoebe sounded pissed.

"Where is she?" Phoebe demanded to know.

However, suddenly, Billie was alerted to the sound of voices and then the door to the interrogation room opening as Andy and Inspector Richardson stepped in. She shot her head up and she didn't even get the chance to answer the question as she hastily ended the call.

"Sorry. Gotta' go, see ya later, chow!" She slapped the cell phone shut as Richardson walked around the table to take a seat across from her. Andy followed behind the other man and sat down beside him as Richardson threw a manila-colored file onto the table.

"Well. Hello there, Miss Jenkins," he addressed her. "How nice of you to drop by," came his follow-up remark with a sickening smirk in place.

_This should be fun, _Billie thought sarcastically.

**ooooo**

Prue and Piper walked in through the front door of the Manor. However, the moment they both stepped in, Prue reached out to catch Piper's fall, who was about to blend in with the abundance of clutter filling the entire foyer.

"Whoa - um, Prue?" she grabbed onto her sister for support.

"Yeah, I know - sweetie, I got'cha, " Prue made a face at the surrounding mess and struggled to keep herself balanced while offering support to her sister at the same time. As they both attempted to take a few more cautious steps together, a loud crunching noise escaped from underneath the huge pile.

They both stopped cold in their tracks.

"Oh, well - now that's just great. What the hell was that that I just stepped on?" Piper roared, trying to lift her feet and inspect but to no avail. "I swear, if I have to invest in another pair of new shoes - Paige, where are you?" her thoughts changed course as she called out for the youngest sister.

Masses of clothes items, toys, bicycles, and various other types of belongings were scattered all the way into the dining room. Then, as the sisters began scanning the staircase, they noticed that area too was just as cluttered if not more than the rest of the downstairs.

"Right - something tells me that 'spring cleaning' went out with the spring," Prue announced, trying to kick her way through some of the clutter blocking her path.

"I smell a spell," Piper cracked. "Uh, Paige?" she called out a second time. "A little help in here please?"

Paige hustled in from the kitchen area. "Coming," she shouted. After almost tripping over some piled up clothes blocking her way, she fought to catch her balance quickly. "I'm coming," she asserted one last time, trying to make it over to them. "And before you say anything, I was only trying to help us find that incantation."

Prue snorted. "From where, a local department store?" she cracked, looking around some more.

"Ha ha, real funny," Paige narrowed her eyes in at her oldest sister in a teasing manner. "No! I just thought a little bit of an enhancement against the Return To Owner spell might do the trick. Only, now," she paused for a bit, scrunching up her face, while looking around her, "I guess it worked a little too well."

"Okay, so then what went wrong?" Piper asked in all seriousness. "I don't even think I recognize half of this stuff. At least the last time something like this happened, most of the stuff actually belonged to us at one time."

Prue nodded sharing in the memory.

Paige shrugged her shoulders up in the air. "I don't know what happened," she pouted her lips, in both a serious and playful display. "All I do know is that this stuff clearly isn't ours and more keeps showing up every ..."

However, she was cut off as a blanket suddenly appeared from out of the air and fell on top of her head, covering her face and muffling the sound of her voice. Both Prue and Piper looked on in some amusement and Prue immediately brought a hand up to cover her mouth so she could stifle a laugh while Piper merely smirked. Then, Prue attempted to put on a straight face while Piper went to pull for the blanket.

"Every five minutes," Paige finished her sentence. "Actually, why don't we make that every two minutes,'" she rolled her eyes.

"Well, obviously this is what you would call a backfire, Paige," Piper mocked. "So hurry up and reverse it," she said while throwing the blanket back to the floor. "I want to know what it feels like to walk on my floors again."

"Yeah, no kidding, and this time, please be sure to mark it _Return to Sender_," Prue teased, while crossing her arms in front of her and narrowing her eyes at Paige.

"Oh, hey, believe me - if I could actually return 'spell' to sender, I would," Paige asserted, blowing some disheveled hair from out of her face. "I'm never touching that stupid spell again," she pouted a little bit.

However, the moment was interrupted when they were all suddenly alerted to the sound of a cat crying somewhere in an undisclosed location. Piper and Prue glanced at each other, questioning looks upon their faces, and then they began scanning the layout of the downstairs area trying to locate the source. Meanwhile, Paige's eyes darted back and forth with a somewhat guilty expression plastered across her face.

Prue caught movement under a small pile of clothes just near the staircase. She made serious efforts to wade through all the other junk and after finally getting there, she shuffled the pile around only to find poor Kit, her black cat, stuffed inside of it. Kit meowed up at her. "Oh, oh Kit," she cooed. "What happened girl?" she inquired, picking her up and cuddling her against her chest.

Piper and Paige also approached but when Paige reached out to pet her, Kit responded by hissing back while reaching out to paw the youngest Halliwell at the same time. Paige immediately retracted her hand.

"Kit?" Prue scolded. "That's not very nice."

"Whoa, there. Relax it Miss Kit the 2nd. Prue really should give you your own name, ya know," Paige chided, earning a playful glare from Prue in the process. "But I, uh, take it you're still a little miffed with me over the unfortunate doggy incident earlier," Paige spoke directly to the cat. "Real sorry about that, by the way," she gritted down on her teeth as both of her sisters just stared at her.

"The doggy incident?" the two eldest sisters repeated simultaneously.

Paige tried to cover it up with a smile and a nervous laugh. "Uh? Right," she finally stammered out. "The incident in question would probably be the big, barking dog that was chasing her around downstairs for about fifteen minutes straight," she finished the explanation with a dramatic nod of her head.

"Wait a minute," Piper interjected with narrowed eyes. "What dog?"

Piper's eyes went wide when the barking suddenly sounded off from inside the kitchen. Prue stood in place, a smirk breaking out in place while she still held onto Kit tightly. Then she bent over to place the cat back on the ground and Kit jetted up the stairs with one final meow.

Paige cracked a cheesy grin before answering Piper's question. "Uh, that dog?"

Piper began to march in the direction of the kitchen but almost lost her footing once again. Prue followed behind her with Paige close on their trail. As they entered the kitchen, they found Henry kneeling down beside a golden Labrador retriever.

"Look, it was just the darn spell, okay? I swear that I wasn't trying to conjure a dog," Paige defended herself.

With Prue and Piper halting their steps just inside the kitchen, Paige also entered and then stopped right next to them to watch the unfolding scene with amusement.

"Roll over, boy," Henry instructed and everyone watched as the dog did as he was commanded. He would lie on his back, tongue panting. "That's a good boy," Henry praised the dog, while rubbing his tummy. "Hey, Paige, he's pretty well trained. We should take him home with us?" he looked over towards his wife, a smile set in place.

"No! Absolutely not," Piper immediately interjected. "Nobody is taking anybody home. Except Paige over here is going to go upstairs and find a way to fix this mess! Now please," she stressed. "My kitchen looks like a herd of elephants stomped their way through it."

"Okay - I'm going, I'm going," Paige put her hands up in the air and then she orbed out of sight.

The dog got up from the floor and hopped up onto the kitchen table. Then, he laid his head down and flashed his puppy dog eyes up at Piper, signaling to her that he didn't want to be made to leave and go back wherever he came from.

"And what are you looking at Rover?" she cracked. "Paws off the table now!"

The dog shot his head up and whimpered but, still, he did what he was instructed and jumped off from the table and back onto the floor.

**ooooo **

Billie used her eyes to follow the man's movements. She watched intently as he placed the blank tape inside of the recorder and she watched as his finger went to press record. She then watched while Andy glanced back and forth between the two of them.

"The date is March 7th," Richardson announced. "Year of 2007. Case file number 46139. Potential witness, Miss Billie Jenkins."

Billie swallowed nervously.

"Okay, Billie? You don't mind if I call you Billie, do you?" Richardson inquired.

Billie shook her head. "No."

"Alright then. Well, Billie, I'll be handling most of the questioning. And I took the liberty of looking over the initial statement made by you last year," he began. "Now, you originally stated that your parents began making some regular visits out to see you. And that's why they were staying in the Bay Area Hotel?"

Billie cleared her throat. "That's right," she answered.

"When did you see them last?"

"Two days before they were scheduled to leave," she answered very smoothly. "Like I already stated the last time."

"Uh-huh." At the same time, Richardson pulled the file to him and opened it up. "So then the only reason your mother and father were out here was to visit with you?"

Billie huffed and crossed her arms. "Yeah. Isn't that what I just said to you before?"

"Well, then, why not stay closer to where you were on campus?" the Inspector shot back rather quickly. "There were plenty of hotels closer to the University that you're attending. Why did they pick some place so far out of the way?"

"How should I know?" Billie shot back. "Maybe it had better customer service!"

Richardson lifted up a page in the file and began to report from it. "In fact, I couldn't help but notice that the location was alot closer in distance to the Halliwell Residence. Any particular reason for that?" He shot her another look.

"No!" she shot back again. "There is no particular reason for that!"

Andy picked up the defensiveness Billie was beginning to demonstrate and he held up his hand to signal her to relax. Billie noticed, closed her eyes, and took another deep breath. Then she reopened them.

"You sure you don't want to think about that for a minute?" Richardson baited.

Billie sent the Inspector a bewildered expression while Andy shot his partner a glare, not quite sure where he was taking this. Richardson, on the other-hand, patiently sat across from her with his own arms crossed.

"Why would I need to think about it?" she retorted. "My parents lost my sister, okay? And they could get rather sentimental whenever the anniversary of her disappearance came around. So they wanted to be around me alot more. I'm not getting what the big deal is!"

"The big deal?" Richardson retorted. "I tell you what the big deal is," his voice rising for the first time. Then, he pulled out a picture and flung it across the table so it was in full view of Billie. "The big deal is that I've got an eye witness that can place you leaving the scene of the crime the same day the bodies were found," he exclaimed, pointing at the picture.

"What eye-witness?" Andy instantly inquired. His reaction was almost immediate and he straightened up his posture in his chair. Shooting Billie a concerned look, he then looked to his partner for an explanation on the bombshell just thrown at them on the table. Richardson hadn't briefed him before this interrogation on any new evidence or on any new witnesses that may have come forward with information to the case.

Inspector Richardson didn't answer, instead, his smirk and focus remained directed at Billie.

"What eye-witness, Inspector?" Andy repeated a little louder when he didn't receive an answer the first time around. "I didn't read anything about an eye-witness account?" He pulled the file over to him.

"The eye-witness that just came forward this morning, Inspector," Richardson finally answered back with a smug arrogance, still keeping his trademark smirk and focus on Billie the whole time.

Billie couldn't help her reaction. She remained silent and her eyes widened at the sight of the picture that had been practically shoved in her face. There lying on the table in front of her, was a picture showing both her and Christy, or rather both her and Lana, leaving the hotel together. It had been taken that awful day that both of them had walked into the hotel room only to discover the dead bodies of her parents. She had been so upset and distracted that Lana had to escort her out. They had parted ways that day, Billie heading back to campus like Lana had instructed while Lana was supposed to go and take care of the problem. With a little help from her projection power, they had managed to avoid being caught on camera, only because Lana had brought it to her attention when she wanted to know what they were. However, never did Billie ever stop and think that somebody could have been taking their picture that horrible day.

Had they been followed?

"Who's the girl?" Richardson demanded to know when she didn't speak. "THE OTHER GIRL! WHO IS SHE?" his voice hitched.

Billie felt panic seize her and she began to stutter. "I, uh, uh ... a friend," she lied.

"A friend?" Richardson's voice hitched in amusement.

"Yes, a friend. From school." _Crap, h__e so knows I'm lying, _she thought to herself.

Andy stared at her and tried to come up with a quick rescue. "I don't see a name in here, Inspector." Andy quickly grabbed for the picture while pushing the file over to the side. "And, look, this photo isn't even dated. Do we even know when this was taken and that this new information is legit?"

"It's legit," he answered back. "What's this friend's name so I can track her down?"

"I don't remember. She graduated last year," came Billie's next lie.

Richardson laughed. "She graduated, huh?" he mocked her. "You wanna' know what I think?" his voice suddenly turning sinister. He folded his hands on the table and leaned in on her. "I think this girl is the reason your parents were out here so much. And I think," he stressed, "they believed this girl to be your missing sister Christy. How am I doing so far?"

"Uh, Inspector, can we step out into the hall for a minute please?" Andy suddenly interjected, addressing his partner. He felt his own blood beginning to boil at the fact that Richardson was deliberately keeping him out of the loop but his request went ignored.

Billie just stared and remained silent. She glanced towards Andy who was pretty powerless to do anything at the moment and she knew it. Inspector Richardson was taking a rather heavy and nasty approach but he hadn't crossed any legal lines yet. When she didn't respond back, Richardson interpreted her silence as admission.

"Right. Why don't we cut the crap here?" Richardson continued. "This Christy? Where is she and how was she found? I wanna' talk to her."

Billie swallowed. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" he mocked. "What are you hiding?" he accused.

"Inspector?" Andy interjected a second time. He was very aware of the agitated state that his daughter was now embroiled in and how it was increasing with all the talk centered around her parents and her abducted sister.

"Nothing," her voice hitched in response to the former question.

Andy went ignored again as he continued to look between the two.

"Wrong. You're hiding something," Richardson sneered back. "I wanna' know if what happened to your parents is in anyway connected to your sister being found? You better tell me what you know. Otherwise you might be the one who winds up facing an obstruction of justice charge, get me? Or, perhaps, maybe the two of you just did the deed yourselves?"

Andy jumped in immediately. He held up his hand to halt Billie from answering. "Billie, wait. You don't have to answer that!" he instructed very strongly. "Not without a lawyer present."

"How did you do it?" Richardson continued to mock her. "Why? Because mommy and daddy spent a little too much of their time being concerned with her that there wasn't anything left to give to you?"

"Stop!" She shut her eyes tightly and used her hands to cover her ears.

"Inspector?" Andy's voice hitched this time around. He stood up from his chair, glaring hard at his partner. Richardson turned to him with a smug expression. Quickly, Andy thought about how he'd like the lay one right into his face. "Can I see you outside? Right now," he seethed through clenched teeth.

"Certainly," Richardson answered calmly, standing up from the chair and heading for the door.

Billie tried to fight the tears that threatened to spill over the resurfacing guilt and pain that had been buried from the last year over the cause of their deaths. She thought she was ready and that she could handle the tough questions but it looked like she had been wrong - again. She sat with her hands now covering her face.

Andy followed behind Richardson and placed a reassuring hand against Billie's shoulder as he walked by her. This gesture went unnoticed by Richardson, who was walking in front of Andy, as the two of them stepped out into the hallway with a loud click of the door.

**ooooo **

Phoebe received the surprise of her life as she stepped into the Manor. The same sight that had greeted both Prue and Piper before now stood in her way.

"What the hell ... " she muttered as her voice drifted off.

She looked around.

"Uh, hello?" she shouted out, hoping that someone would heed her call. "Sister here that can use some help? I'd take a few steps myself but I'm afraid of drowning on my way in!" she cracked. Piles of stuff rose half-way up into the air; however, suddenly, Phoebe could make out Paige's form scurrying down the stairs.

"Oh, hold on, Pheebs," Paige announced. She made it halfway down the stairs, stopped, and pulled a piece of paper out in front of her that was visible before Phoebe. "Problem will be solved in one second. Phew! Okay, here we go," she told herself. Paige took a deep breath and then began reciting.

_"I reverse this spell and end this blight, take everything not ours from out of sight; Correct right now this mistaken lender, so right here and right now please Return to Sender!"_

Then, both Phoebe and Paige watched as a swirl of glittery lights appeared removing all the unwanted clutter from every area in the house.

After everything was finally gone, Paige closed her eyes and sighed with relief. "Wow. Thank god that one worked," Paige commented. "And, hey, I even got to throw in Prue's little twist too," she added on second thought, some amusement shining through.

Phoebe took cautious steps forward. "I would ask but I'm afraid to jinx it!"

Paige trudged down the rest of the stairs. "No," she responded back, heading in her sister's direction. "I tried casting a spell hoping the incantation would show up. But it didn't work," she added with disappointment laced in her tone.

"Oh," came Phoebe's one worded reply.

Phoebe went to remove her jacket. The change to that particular topic reminded her again exactly why it was she came here. However, at the same moment, they were greeted by the sight of Piper and Prue coming out of the dining room and into the foyer to join them. They were both in the middle of brushing themselves off while Henry trailed from behind, doing the same thing.

"Hey, what happened to you guys?" Phoebe immediately inquired, stepping forward.

"Just wanted you to know that we heard you and that we weren't ignoring you on purpose," Piper informed her, referring to her sister's call for help after she had first stepped inside. Piper continued to brush her clothes off. "But we became the inside portion of a clothing sandwich."

"Uh, no, I think I was wedged in between a pair of skies and a coat rack," Prue cracked, straightening out her own clothes that were disheveled.

Phoebe smirked, feeling some of the tension brought on from earlier in the day leave her. She glanced over at Henry, who retorted with a crack of his own.

"Uh me? Yeah, I was just happy to make it out alive."

Everyone shared a laugh. However, the light moment they were sharing together was interrupted with the sudden appearance of the orbs that had flashed inside the living room beside them. Everybody turned to found out who it could be appearing there and then there stood three men dressed in white and gold robes.

The Elders.

**ooooo**

"What the hell was that all about in there?"

Andy had gritted his declaration through clenched teeth, while turning on his partner. They stood just outside the door leading into the interrogation room and Richardson returned Andy's hard glare with a cool and collective look of his own.

"Doing my job," he answered Andy. "That girl's got something to hide," he stated, pointing over his back towards the door. "And I'm gonna' find out what it is."

"Doing your job?" Andy mocked, crossing his arms. "You were badgering a potential witness and making unfounded accusations."

"I think she could be a potential suspect," he countered back. "And we are not in a court of law here, Inspector," Richardson raised his voice before remembering to lower it again. "My job is to get to the facts, that's it. And if I have to put a little pressure on to do that, then I WILL," he stressed. "There's nothing on the books that says I can't. Besides, I'm not a judge or a lawyer and neither are you."

Andy smirked, placing his hands at his hips. "A judge or a lawyer would have a case like this thrown out in a heartbeat," he mocked the man before him. "And you know it. One random photograph of an unidentified girl walking out of a building with the witness and some unfounded possible theories pointing to feelings of sibling rivalry while growing up is hardly sufficient enough evidence to substantiate a first degree murder charge," he threw at Richardson.

"Maybe not," retorted the other Inspector. "But I got enough to bust her with obstruction if she's hiding anything relevant to this case. Or any knowledge in the kidnapping of Christy Jenkins," he asserted back. "So, you might want to advise your client of that, Inspector," he cracked while winking back mockingly.

Richardson turned around and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Andy demanded.

"We're done questioning her," he threw over his back. "For now."

Andy just shook his head in disgust and headed back for the door. While grabbing for the door knob in a rough manner, his lingering thoughts were on how much he was really beginning to despise the other man he worked with. Besides being peeved by the known fact that Richardson had kept the new information away from him on purpose, Andy just couldn't shake his initial impression that something was off about him.

He slammed the door behind him.

**ooooo **

The sisters stood there for a moment and each one of them cast the others a quick look before making their move into the living room.

"What do you want?" Piper demanded, as she stepped inside first. Her tone came out extremely cold and unwelcoming. "You have no right to be here after everything."

Phalmis, Ramar, and Xenus glanced towards each other before turning back to address the sisters. They were met with the same harsh stares coming from the other sisters as well but there was no turning back now. They needed to be here.

"Please, it's important that we speak with you," Phalmis opened up. "We need to know what you might know about Gideon being alive."

Phoebe spoke up. "Even if we did know something, what makes you think we'd tell you?" she retorted.

Paige stood with her arms crossed, staring between the three men. Henry remained in the background, merely observing the encounter before him.

Ramar huffed. "Please, this is no time to be drawing battle lines. This is serious. It involves Emeritus," he reported to them.

"I'd say it's a little too late for that," Prue spoke out. "Wasn't it you who drew them first?"

Phoebe laughed in response to the Elder's declaration. After the missing Elder's name had been mentioned and then noting for the first time that Emeritus was seemingly absent, she made another crack. "Yeah, and speaking of your ring leader, where is Gideon's little protege?"

"He's dead!" Xenus hollered, clearly frustrated by the whole situation.

The sisters momentarily froze at that sudden and unexpected revelation. Looking to each other, all smiles and smirks faded almost instantly and they took a moment to absorb the news. The three Elders watched for their reactions.

"He was shot and killed. By a darklighter's arrow," Phalmis finished explaining.

Paige dropped her arms back down by her sides. "What?" she inquired.

"A darklighter's arrow," Xenus repeated. "It worked hard and very fast. The poison got to him before he had the chance to get back to us. We were unable to heal him."

Piper stared hard before responding to that news. "Well," she began slowly. "Really wish we could say we were sorry but then we'd be lying."

Paige cast her a look. "Piper!" she hissed.

"What?" Piper retorted. "They're the reason we're all in this mess to begin with," she defended. "C'mon. Messing around with magical destinies and with peoples' lives? I say they only got what was coming to them!"

"Gotta' love that law of Karma," Prue added on. "It's a bitch."

"But it's gotta' be that same darklighter?" Paige protested. "The one that shot Prue and kidnapped Billie? And the one that's been tracking down all those whitelighters?"

"Paige, we don't know that for sure," argued Phoebe.

"Don't we?" she countered. "We were wondering before why he had powers he shouldn't have. Well now it makes sense. We know he's been working with the Triad because of Billie. Gideon must have given him more power through those stones," she argued back.

"Gideon?" Phalmis interjected, shooting his eyes between all the sisters.

The sisters shot their attention back towards the Elders. The three men had stood to the side listening to the exchange between the sisters.

Then Prue turned her attention back to Paige, asking the question that was on her mind. "Wait. So you think Gideon sent this darklighter after another Elder? Why would he do that, it doesn't make sense."

"He's evil now. Duh," Paige rolled her eyes like it should be the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't think it needs to make sense, do you?"

"It might make more sense than we know," Phoebe suddenly interjected.

Her mind had been reeling with possible scenarios to piece together what all this could mean and she thought back to some of the details Leo had shared with them regarding how Gideon and this group of Elders had been responsible for tampering with the Book of Shadows and the Ultimate Power incantation. Suddenly, she didn't like what this could be implying.

Prue threw her sister a questioning look. "Pheebs, what are you talking about?"

"Think about it," Phoebe addressed all three of her sisters. "Remember what Leo was telling us about the prophecy and it being stolen from the Book? What if Emeritus got his hands on it somehow? From here, in the Manor? That could be exactly why Gideon had that darklighter take him out," she stressed. "To get to the incantation."

"What?" Paige questioned unbelievingly. "How?"

"Paige, I don't know how but that incantation is gone! And you know that yourself, you've been trying for days and it can't be found anywhere!" Phoebe shot back. She was clearly frustrated because this wasn't good. Nope, this wasn't good at all.

"But then that would mean that evil has its hands on it right now?" Piper drew out slowly. "In which case, we're totally and completely screwed."

"Not screwed, dead!" Prue corrected, closing her eyes and shaking her head in disbelief. Could things possibly be any worse for them?

"Oh, believe me, I know," Phoebe responded.

The three Elders glanced at each other nervously and then swallowed.

"There may be another way?" Phalmis announced, catching the attention of all four sisters.

"Another way for what?" Prue inquired.

"To constitute the power," the Elder expanded upon his revelation. "The prophecy was revealed in secret to Melinda Warren, through a dream, because of her power of premonition. She and she alone would retain the memory to the Ultimate Power incantation."

Phoebe took steps forward. "What? Are you serious?"

"Yes," Ramar reaffirmed. "If you summon her from the afterlife, a ritual can be performed through her," he finished.

The sisters' reaction was one of absolute surprise. They looked to each other once again, wide-eyed, with expressions that matched their feelings. Was it possible they wouldn't need the piece of paper with the incantation on it after all?

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Phoebe addressed her sisters.

Immediately, she took quick strides to leave for the attic. However, she stopped when she received protest from the Elders who were still present but she still kept her back turned to them.

"WAIT!" Phalmis' voice carried to them. "Please," he pleaded. "Now that we've shared what we know with you, we need you to share with us what you know about Gideon?"

"Emeritus muttered something about Gideon and the Triad before dying," Xenus elaborated. "Do you know what any of that could mean?"

The sisters stared back as Phoebe turned around slowly and opted to answer. "Yeah. We know what it means," she answered despondently. "It means that Gideon is now a member of the Triad. He's one of them!" Then, she turned to her sisters. "Let's go," she readdressed them for a second time.

The sisters exited the living room in a single file, followed by Henry, as the Elders were left to digest that particular shocking news.

One of their own had betrayed them.

**ooooo **

It was dark and way past dusk.

The headlights reflected off of the abandoned lot as the car was pulling into it. Abandoned buildings were set off in the background and as the car came to a complete stop, the driver could definitely make out the shadowy figure that appeared in the distance.

Inspector Richardson stepped out of his police model and slammed the door shut.

"Well?" the other figure addressed him as he approached.

"Well? Why haven't you been responding to my calls?" the Inspector mocked in an irritated fashion. He wasn't one that liked to be ignored.

"Because I've had work to do," the other figure answered. "Important work."

"But you're the one who came to me, remember?" Richardson roared. "The least you can do is return my calls. And how much longer do we need to wait around before we can just take all of them out?" the man's temper continued to flare. "I'm sick of waiting!"

"NOT until I get what I came for!" the other figure instructed in a higher-pitch, with a touch of impatience mixed in. "I promised you your revenge. And you'll get your revenge," he answered back to the unstable man who was now pacing before him.

Richardson stopped pacing and addressed the man with him. "Who are you anyway?" he asked.

"That's not important," the figure responded. "Just continue calling me Richard," he instructed. "What is important is that you don't screw this up."

"I'm not," Richardson sneered. "But I did show the photo to the girl today. The same one that you gave me?"

"And?" the figure inquired.

"And it did no good. She wouldn't give up the location on the other girl," Richardson informed the other man with him.

"That doesn't matter anymore. I have a location. I already found her myself," the figure announced, making it a point to inform the Inspector. "But I just need you to cause enough distraction long enough for me until I'm finally ready to make my move with the girl."

"And then we'll be ready?" Richardson inquired, his eyes gleaming with the prospect.

"Yes, we'll be ready. Now go. I'll contact you again when I need to," the figure instructed of the Inspector.

The figure, calling himself Richard, watched as the Inspector entered his car and left. Then, disappearing into the shadows, he acknowledged that he had to make a move soon, before the Charmed Ones became too powerful and the Triad made their own move.

He needed to be able to convince Lana soon.

* * *

**To Be Continued: **Okay, that ends this chapter. Hope you liked it. And please don't forget to review.

**Coming Up: **The sisters finally come face to face with the Ultimate Power but seek to stop Gideon and the rest of the Triad from infusing it themselves. The others find out the truth regarding Lana. Lana poses a risk and a move is made against the next generation. And a further divide is created between Coop and Phoebe after she's forced to make a drastic decision.

**Stayed Tuned **for the upcoming chapters **... :o)**


	33. A Knock on Destiny's Door

A big thanks to my readers/reviewers:

**PrUe AnD AnDy**, and **charmed1979. **A super-duper big thanks for taking the time to review as always. **:o)**

**lol, **You're absolutely right. There is something very off about the Inspector. Just wait until one of the upcoming chapters when you found out just how off the man really is and what it will drive him to do? **;o)**

**PrUe AnD AnDy: **they should kill that inspector, huh? Well, the decision should be made alot easier if he really is a demon, right? You'll just have to wait and see. **hehe ;o)**

**charmed1979: lol, **I'm glad you think the chapters keep getting better and better. It means I'm doing my job as a writer. So thanks on that end. As for Phoebe/Coop, there will be some light at the end of the tunnel. It's just about the road in getting there.

As for the rest, **hehe**, let's wait and see **lol ;o)**

**Onto the next chapter we go:**

* * *

**Chapter 32: A Knock on Destiny's Door**

_**Underworld ...**_

Gideon strolled through the underground lair at a quick pace and with an air of self-satisfaction. Only within a few feet behind him, the darklighter followed closely at his heels. Neither of them spoke a single word until they both had entered the hidden cavern found in the uncharted depths of the Underworld. It was a place that no demon dared to venture unless invited there or else otherwise maintained an upper-level status themselves.

"Will you be summoning the others now?" inquired the darklighter excitedly.

"No, not yet," Gideon informed him. "Retrieving the incantation is only the first step. But now the language needs to be deciphered."

"And why is that?" the darklighter countered.

The door to the cavern sealed behind them and seconds passed before Gideon addressed the darklighter's inquiry. He watched as Gideon moved to a hidden location basking in shadows. He moved to follow and the location revealed a hidden set of stones. There was also a box but a box he had never seen before.

"Because," Gideon finally answered him. "It is written in an unknown dialect. Foreign to both the immortal and mortal realms and not easily translated. I gather that the initial purpose in doing so was to serve as a sort of safeguard. In case evil were ever to get its hands on it."

The darklighter became anxious. "Then how is that going to serve us? If the language can't be broken down, then it's of no use to us at all!"

"I didn't say that it couldn't be broken, darklighter," Gideon countered back, as if the darklighter were stupid and inferior to his superior intellect. "With the right amount of magic anything is possible."

"But ... " the darklighter attempted to protest but was cut off.

"Be silent!" Gideon demanded. The darklighter recoiled at the Triad member's tone. "I was merely implying that it might take some time, that's all. But we need to try and move quickly. Especially before word of Emeritus' death passes onto the Charmed Ones."

The darklighter narrowed his eyes at the Triad's mention of the former Elder. "Emeritus? So you know of who he is?" He was suspicious of Gideon and all his knowledge.

Gideon sneered. "Of who he _was_," he corrected.

"How? And why is that you seem to know so much about the Elders and their ways?" the darklighter wanted to know.

Gideon left the box inside the hole seen in the hollow ground, but picked up some of the stones. He rolled them around in his hands while staring past the darklighter. In a distracted manner and with a gleam to his eyes, he answered the darklighter's next questions.

"Through experience, my dear dark friend. Good old-fashioned experience."

"Good being the operative word," the darklighter pointed out, a sneer of his own set firmly in place. He had put the pieces together very quickly. The man standing with him use to be one of them. Someone who had served the greater good. "Why haven't you told the other members about who you really are?" he challenged.

"Because it's not who I am!" countered Gideon. "Not anymore. I now serve one purpose and one purpose only. And that's to bring down the Charmed Ones along with the next generation. But we may be running out of time. We can't be sure of what Emeritus did or didn't tell the others after he got away. He managed to escape us before dying."

"But if the Charmed Ones come here before we can figure out the incantation, then how will we stop them?" the darklighter inquired.

"With a distraction," he answered simply.

Gideon bent down and began lining the outer perimeters of the hole found in the ground with the Vicarian Stones. They created a circular pattern around the box found inside the ground and while he did this, the darklighter watched on intently. Was he, perhaps, preparing for some type of ritual involving the box? The darklighter wondered that before responding back.

"What kind of distraction?"

After finishing, Gideon stood back up and stared directly at the darklighter. "One that involves completing your task!"

The darklighter arched his brows, accepting what the Triad member implied. Then, a giant smirk broke out on his face as Gideon confirmed what he already knew.

"Yes. It's time to bring them here. All three of the young ones."

**ooooo **

Billie paced inside the alleyway, awaiting JD's return with Lana.

Granted, being alone in an alleyway late at night wasn't the safest bet but then again she wasn't like any ordinary person. She was a witch with powers and even more than that, a witch born from a Charmed One. Not to mention that in addition to that little fact, she was used to having to confront demons in dark alleyways all of the time. So what did she really have to fear coming from some mortal?

Billie stopped walking and took a deep breath. She could hear the many sirens and horns resonating from the traffic in the distance somewhere. Then she began her pacing all over again as her thoughts turned to other matters. In truth, she had fully expected Phoebe to be all over her by ringing her cell phone off the wall when she had failed to report back to the manor earlier. But to her pleasant surprise, that hadn't been the case. Not once had Phoebe, or any of the others for that matter, tried to call back after that one brief conversation. But she knew that didn't get her off the hook that easily. There would still be alot of explaining to do after she got back and not just to Phoebe either.

Orbs suddenly materalized into the alleyway beside Billie and she caught sight of them just as they transformed into JD and Lana.

"Hey!" she greeted him.

"Hey yourself," JD smirked back at her. "I got her out but we're gonna' have to hurry and get her back soon before someone notices. I guess they have curfews and stuff."

"Right," Billie acknowledged with a nod of her head. "It's okay, I just had a few questions to ask anyway. Did you tell her?" she inquired of JD.

Lana looked between the two. "Tell me what?"

"Nah, I figured I'd wait until we got back to you first," JD answered, looking straight at Billie.

Lana huffed. "Are you two going to tell me what it is or are you just going to keep blabbering in code back and forth? And it better be something good too when it involves dragging me out here close to ten o'clock at night!" She brought her arms up around her, a clear sign that she was feeling cold, and she took in her surroundings with an expression reflecting distaste.

Billie shared a look with JD before answering. "We think we found out who your family is," she opened up and shared with her. "But the thing is, not all of it's good news."

Lana appeared surprised by the news. "Okay. Well let's go," she announced, taking steps.

"No, wait, it's not like that," Billie protested. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "You can't just go and show up on their doorstep." She reopened her eyes and watched as Lana stopped and retreated back until she was again standing right in front of them.

"Why not?" came the blunt inquiry.

"Because first off, it would just be rude," Billie challenged her. "Do you know what time it is?" Then, her voice softened a bit. "But second of all and most importantly, it's because there's no doorstep to show up on."

Billie knew that wasn't completely true but she wasn't ready to dive into the whole _your dead uncle is actually about to marry my Charmed aunt _speech just yet. _So, ha ha, guess what - it looks like through some sick twist of fate, you and I will actually be sharing family in some freaky way after all. _She needed to have the conversation about Lana with the others first.

Lana scrunched her brows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean they're not alive anymore," Billie delivered the blow the only way she could, with the truth. "Your mother was killed shortly after you were born. Probably by Dumain since he's the one who ended up with you, that's my guess anyway. And then your mother had some brother named Richard. But he was blamed for killing her so unfortunately he's not around anymore either. At least not in the way you'd expect."

Lana's head had shot up at the mention of the name Richard.

Billie did note the sadness that had seemed to cross over the poor girl's face for a brief, flashing moment. It was like her hopes had been completely dashed with the unfortunate news. However, she managed to recover from it just as quickly. Hopefully, as soon as they could inform her that Coop was in fact her dead 'Uncle Richard', maybe things would look better to her. Billie felt sort of guilty keeping it from her for the time being.

"Was there anybody else?" Lana inquired, void of emotion.

Billie observed her carefully before answering. "No. Sorry. Both your mother and uncle were left as orphans after your grandparents died," she settled on, deciding not to share the unsettling news that her grandfather had in fact killed her grandmother before turning the gun on himself. "And there weren't any other siblings. Both of them grew up in foster homes. And," she sighed, "no other children. Just you."

"Oh."

Lana averted her gaze towards the ground. She tried hard to hide the fact that her eyes were beginning to mist over and that she was actually feeling some assemblance of human emotion, not the good part of it, but still human feeling nonetheless. However, she was failing miserably at hiding it because her voice began to crack with that emotion.

"So then I guess that it's for me, huh? With no family waiting in the wings, it's just a matter of time before the rest of the Triad gets to me," she cracked. "Or maybe I should just let your magically sadistic family take a whack at it first and get it over with," she vented towards Billie, with a venomous glare.

But this time Billie didn't react or become defensive. No. Because for the first time ever, she could tell that Lana was sincerely reacting with hurt human emotion, she was just lashing out, not giving into some evil nature that made up the other half of who she was. The look of pain wasn't concocted or made-up as some elaborate scheme to worm her way into Billie's life and use her, not this time. Lana was feeling genuine disappointment that quickly turned into pain which then caused her to take it out on the closest people to her.

"Lana, that doesn't have to happen," JD suddenly interjected. "You can still choose to be good if you want to," he tried to encourage her. "It's not like you or your mortal family would have been out of harm's way, even if they were still around for you to go to. Billie's still going to talk to the sisters about finding some kind of potion that might be able to take your powers away for good. Then you can lead a normal life."

"Right," she mocked, feeling unconvinced.

Billie sighed wearily. She had wanted to also bring up the other subject to her. About what had happened today with Inspector Richardson and the picture? But she finished debating back and forth within herself and finally decided that it was definitely not the best time to go there right now. Lana clearly needed a little space. She would have to bring it up later and find out more about it when Coop and Phoebe would be ready to tell Lana the truth.

"I would take JD's advice," Billie offered. "You never know what can happen? JD can take you back now but we'll definitely be in touch."

JD sent her a questioning look and Billie nodded her head. He knew that she had wanted more in coming here tonight but her nod signaled to him that they would leave it alone for tonight.

"Go!" Billie tells JD.

JD nodded back and then latched onto Lana as the two faded away amidst his orbs. Billie was left standing alone in the alleyway once again, awaiting his solo return. After JD successfully dropped Lana back off inside the shelter, she lied down on her bed and turned her face into the pillow.

Her soft sobs could be heard across the darkened room.

**ooooo**

Upstairs in the attic, the four sisters sat in a circular formation.

Phoebe finished lighting the first candle and then the lighter was passed on to Piper. Piper lit the candle sitting in front of her and when she was finished she passed the lighter on to Prue, who repeated the same action as the other two sisters before her. When the lighter finally reached Paige, she lit her candle; however, she noticed that her hand was involuntarily shaking just a little bit. She acknowledged that this would be the first time in over five years, her first time ever as a witch and a Charmed One, that she would be meeting their dead ancestor. The witch who was responsible for starting this magical line which led to this very moment in time.

"Okay, now comes the fun part," Phoebe cracked, holding up the knife for everyone to see.

"Eh. Do we have to?" Paige delivered back, making a face at her.

"Uh, yeah, unfortunately," Prue answered the question for her, nodding her head at her baby sister and smiling at the same time. "The way I remember it, the spell only works by blood calling for blood."

Phoebe smiled. "Yup, so pick a finger!" she joked, while taking the knife and using it to prick her finger at the same time. "Ow!" she jumped a little. "Alright, who's next?" came her high-pitch monotone. "Here you go," she stated as she passed it over to Piper.

However, instead of reaching out to grab the knife, Piper used a hand to cover her face. She thrust her arm out at Phoebe. "You know the drill," she instructed.

All eyes turned to look at Piper, looks of surprise covering their faces.

"What? Are you serious?" Phoebe laughed. "After all this time?"

"Oh yes. Dead serious. Now prick and get it over with. Before I chicken out!"

"But, honey, I seem to recall you had no problems with it during all those times you tried to summon Prue," Phoebe pointed out, still slightly amused. "And by yourself!" she stressed.

"Or when we scried for Billie!" Paige added as a helpful reminder.

"I thought you got over that, what's suddenly changed?" Phoebe couldn't help but laugh.

"Doesn't count!" Piper objected, shaking her head in protest. "Those were desperate times that called for desperate measures. Besides my adrenaline was pumping so high during those times, I don't think I would of felt a house dropping on me! Now, are you going to prick or am I going to have to make Prue do it?" she mused.

"Um, no!" Prue made a face but couldn't help the smile that broke out.

Everyone just shared amused looks and smiled as Phoebe pricked and Piper jumped. The knife passed over to Prue who pricked her own finger and then she passed it on to Paige, who did the same thing. All four sisters squeezed drops of blood into the small pot before them. After finishing that step, the sisters stood up and formed a small circle around the pot, holding hands and leaving just enough room to summon Melinda Warren into the circle.

They each took deep breaths and closed their eyes. Phoebe started the chant.

_"Melinda Warren, blood of our blood ..."_

_"Our great great great great great great grandmother," _Piper, Prue, and Paige all picked up with Phoebe.

_"We summon thee!" _they completed in unison.

The four sisters opened their eyes and watched as sparkly orbs, mixed with white and gold, materialized before them and formed into their dead ancestor. The beautiful woman from the past, carried her bright smile back with her. A smile that was contagious and with her wisps of blond hair, hair that reached down to her shoulders and blew with the light breeze, she took deep breaths of air after materializing back into her natural state from centuries ago.

"Ah," she sighed and relaxed herself. "It's so good to be back again," she announced with a happy disposition. "Blessed Be!"

The four sisters returned her heart-warming smile with smiles of their own. Melinda Warren looked from one sister to the next. Although it was clear to her that some time had clearly passed since her last visit here, she immediately recognized the first three faces her eyes passed over. However, when she landed on the last face, the young woman was clearly someone new to her.

"I don't believe we've met," she addressed Paige in a soft, cheerful voice. "But you must be the fourth sister that the prophecy foretold of." She turned her head and nodded towards the others while she addressed them. "I remember Prue," she smiled and nodded at her. "Of course who is named for my own daughter Prudence."

Prue reached out to hug her. "It's good to see you again."

"And then there was Piper," Melinda Warren nodded in her direction next. Piper repeated Prue's action with another hug.

"And Phoebe," she smiled at the former youngest sister.

Phoebe smiled, stepped forward, and embraced the former witch who had been summoned back from the afterlife in flesh and blood. "We've missed you."

Melinda Warren then turned back to readdress Paige.

"And I would be Paige," she jumped in with the introduction. "The long lost sister."

"Of course, Paige," Melinda smiled and stepped forward to hug the youngest sister. "And I don't know if you've come to realize this yet but your name happens to be a direct reflection from off of the prophecy itself. Symbolic in nature. You are the lost "Paige", the lost sister that was found and reunited with her sisters just as the lost "page" from the Book was meant to be found and reunited with 'It.' And, of course, back with the four of you where it rightfully belongs!"

"See, but I think that's where the problem is," Piper spoke up. "The page from the Book wasn't really lost it was actually stolen. And now it's gone again and might be in the hands of evil. And to be quite honest, some of us are a little confused about what this whole new power means. I mean, why now?"

Melinda watched Piper and feelings of sympathy and understanding overtook her.

"Piper, I believe when you say _some of us _are confused, you are really speaking of _you_," she addressed the sister. "I believe what you really want to know is why you couldn't be spared the pain of experiencing the loss one sister in exchange for receiving another one in return," she asserted. "And why this new power just wasn't allowed to come into being with all four of you from the very start."

Piper averted her gaze towards to floor before looking back up. Then she shared a look with Prue before turning her attention back to Melinda Warren once again. And when Melinda continued to speak, she looked from each sister as she spoke her next words.

"I know the path in getting here has been very hard for you. All of you." Melinda took the time to meet the eyes of each sister, one by one. "And it has been difficult in different ways but it is important for each of you to understand that it was all necessary. Everything that happened was meant to be and without those experiences you wouldn't have grown or learned the lessons needed to move on so you could become stronger. All of that was needed to benefit your new bond as 'four.' It was also to become a destined path that ultimately intertwines with that of your next generation."

Prue thought about the words of wisdom coming from her ancestor.

If she put aside her feelings of guilt long enough, about faking her death and deceiving her sisters, buried all the anger directed towards Gideon, and forgot about the resentment she held for the Underworld at abducting her daughter, she could grasp at the deeper meaning. Because, in truth, had none of those events transpired, chances were that she never would have been reunited with Andy. There would be no Molly today and maybe, just maybe, she never would have even uncovered the truth about Billie either. Billie might not have even appeared in their lives. So in a weird and twisted way, it appeared as if some good things were destined to come out of the bad and its consequences after all. A quick glance at her sisters and it was easy to tell that they were reflecting on similar things that were relevant to their own lives.

"So with that now said," Melinda continued, "It is important for all of you to put aside all anger, all resentment and any other negative emotions that may hold you back. Coming together as the Ultimate Power truly does mean you will operate as one."

Phoebe had some of her own questions that she wanted answered.

"So what exactly did the prophecy say?" she inquired. "I mean, before the switch? Does the Ultimate Power replace the Power of Three or talk about who was really meant to be the Power of Three?" she reflected back on the past, thinking about the first three years with Prue before they reconstituted the power with Paige in her place.

Melinda looked between the sisters.

"The original prophecy spoke of the coming of four powerful sisters. The Charmed Ones. But it opened up with the foretelling of two sisters who would be blessed with a double magical line. However, their very existence would cause much upheaval. It did not say how that would happen only that it would. The prophecy never directly spoke of which three sisters were to operate as the Power of Three, but it just made it clear that for a period of time it would only be three sisters and the Power of Three."

Phoebe laughed at the irony. "Wanna' take a guess that's where that whole forbidden whitelighter/witch rule came out of?" she turned to her sisters.

"The upheaval bit?" Piper clarified. "Yeah. So much for breaking the rules," she joked back, while rolling her eyes. "They must have misinterpreted it as something bad when all along it was foretelling of the upheaval _they_ would cause," she made in reference to the Elders, "over trying to prevent it from happening in the first place!"

Her other sisters shared a small laugh with her.

"So, then the prophecy must have went on to tell of the fourth sister reuniting with the others to make the circle complete, right?" Prue directed her question back at Melinda.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Although the fourth sister does appear to have a dual meaning as well. For a long while, Paige was technically the fourth sister missing most of your lives, until she did reunite and reconstitute a Power of Three. So I don't believe the prophecy is only referencing her, Prue. It is talking about you too. You essentially resurrected, even though you never truly died, and then returned as the missing fourth sister link to Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. You were needed back to complete the Ultimate Power circle," she explained.

The discussion had turned highly philosophical in nature but at the same time it did help to bring a better understanding to all the sisters. Each of them had been plagued with thoughts that centered around where their place truly was, what was destined or meant to be, and why all the things had happened the way they had.

"So what does all this mean now?" Paige finally spoke up with a question of her own. "Phoebe asked about the Power of Three and it being replaced by this new power. Once we constitute it, will the Power of Three just disappear?"

"No. Essentially, the purpose of the Ultimate Power is because as good evolved and became stronger, so would evil. You would begin to encounter more and more evil that could withstand the Power of Three. Thus, turning them into unvanquishable demons. You've probably encountered some in your short time together but there will be more to come," she forewarned.

"Great!" Paige remarked, rolling her eyes. "Looking forward to that!"

"The Power of Three will always be there if you need to tap into it but as time moves on you will notice that you shall be using it less and less," Melinda clarified.

"And what about the next generation part, our kids?" Piper suddenly threw in. "I mean, this power hasn't even been constituted yet but we do happen to know for a fact that my niece was able to vanquish one of these unvanquishable demons last year," she pointed out to clear up some of the confusion. "So how is that possible?"

Melinda thought hard about the question presented to her.

"Well, in answer to your question, I'm going to make an assumption that it was probably a lower level unvanquishable demon that didn't require the full use of Ultimate Power," she began. "But, in addition to that, the next generation born would already be predisposed to their power, your power. The only thing is that they will not be able to tap into the power-base the same way you four will be able to after you constitute it. They will need to wait until their sets are complete and when the generation is full to tap into the same levels."

"Sets?" Phoebe immediately queried, picking up on that piece of information. She already knew that she was destined to have at least one daughter. After all, she had seen her and watched herself talk to her in a future vision. But was Melinda Warren confirming more?

Melinda smiled. "I've probably already shared more then I should have. But in answer to your question, Phoebe, yes there will be more than one child."

Phoebe smiled back.

"Actually, at one time," Melinda opted to continue, "There was a whole separate prophecy that spoke of your next coming generation. It was a Twice-Blessed prophecy foretelling the coming of powerful witches descending from two magical lines, descendants straight from the Charmed line. Only now, where it is? Your guess is as good as mine. This particular prophecy did not come straight from me."

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige shared a knowing look.

"Uh, yeah, we know!" Paige sang.

"Evil got its hands on it sometime back" Phoebe continued, as Prue listened with Melinda. "We found out about the prophecy back when Piper had Wyatt only we were led to believe that it was talking about Wyatt only. But I guess now we know the real truth!"

"And why those nasty warlocks were so desperate to get their hands on poor baby Wyatt," Paige interjected. "They were probably planning on handing him over to Dumain and the Triad the whole time," she concluded. "Gosh, I can't believe they were out to collect our kids? Our future kids?" she reflected with a shudder, even though hers technically weren't born yet.

"Well, speaking of evil collecting things," Piper stressed. "What do we do if evil does have the incantation? And how do we constitute the Ultimate Power without it?"

"Evil can only gain use to it by reading and understanding the contents held within. Which could prove to be difficult because the words came through my premonition in a buried language that is virtually unknown in both worlds. So that may or may not offer you some more time. But if you do find that evil figures out a way, remember they can only re-infuse themselves with your power each and every time they recite it. They need the page to recite it whenever they want to reuse the power and the incantation can't be memorized. That's about the only magical protection the missing page ensures you. But once you four have it, it's yours for life. Or at least until one of you passes on when it's your time. So find the incantation and destroy it. Destroy it and you destroy their access to your power."

The four sisters absorbed this information carefully.

"Alright. So how do we do this?" Piper inquired, asking what was clearly on the minds of everyone else in the attic.

Melinda smiled.

"Well, we can start by reforming a circle," she informed them. "Oh, but first we'll need to place the Book in the center of our circle."

Prue turned around to retrieve the Book of Shadows from the podium. She returned with it and placed it down inside the center of where their circle would soon be formed. Stepping back, she took Piper's hand to one side of her and Melinda Warren's on the other. Melinda and all four sisters were now forming a circle together, hands being held with the person to each side of them.

"Close your eyes and take deep breaths," Melinda instructed with a gentle voice. "Allow your minds to clear as you connect," she finished.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige all concentrated on the instructions given to them. Deep intakes of air were taken and then released in other breaths. And as they opened up their minds, slowly reaching out and connecting to each other, something started to happen. The Triquetra symbol gracing the cover of the Book began to glow a bright, sparkling blue. Then, next, energy spurted upwards and filtrated over the top of the circle.

As a type of telepathic connection was opened through the minds of the group, the important words that were needed to constitute the Ultimate Power began to flow freely into thought patterns and then out through their voices. They chanted in unison and with complete comprehension:

_"Powers above and powers below; We now come together as four, To knock on destiny's door. We open this door and flow freely in. Give us the power, we do call forth the power in this night and hour. A power so great, all evil will cower. We shall be protected from near and afar; And a strength we will beseech from thee forever more. From the waters, the mountains, and from the moon and the sun; We unite ourselves together to fight for all good as one."_

As the chant was repeated four times in a row, one chant representative of each sister, the blue energy flew down and encompassed each sister inside the circle. And after the chant had finished, the energy converged and realigned itself with the symbol on the Book cover. The sisters opened their eyes and watched as the Triquetra symbol on the Book slowly morphed into a newer symbol. The Triquetra, at one time representing three, shifted into a type of Quadtra, with an extra loop which now represented four.

The sisters each glanced at each other with surprised expressions and then Phoebe dove for the Book. She raced over to the small table and began to flip through it at a rapid pace. Her sisters followed from close behind. Melinda just watched from the background, slightly amused by this girlish display.

"Whoa, check this out!" Phoebe announced. "New spells and potion mixes."

The other sisters huddled in close together to see for themselves.

"This is way cool!" Phoebe announced excitedly.

"Hey. See any new spells in there to fix my hair?" Piper cracked.

"No, but I just saw something about turning colors," Paige squinted her eyes together, while trying to gather as much as she could as Phoebe flipped through. "Which is cool cause' I've actually been thinking about going back to the red without it happening from a potion gone wrong!"

Prue smirked before responding.

"Okay, guys, first let's concern ourselves with the Triad? Then we'll get back to hair-dyes and hair growth and, ew, my split ends," she cracked as she took a hold of a piece of her hair.

Melinda continued to smile but interjected anyway.

"Just remember. The personal gain rule does still apply. And with it, so do all the consequences," she warned.

All four sisters shot their heads up, making disgruntled expressions.

"Okay!" Phoebe announced, slamming the Book shut. "Wishful thinking time is way over!" she cracked.

"Yeah, we should have known there would still be a catch," Paige added her own two cents in. "But I guess this means we have to send you back now, huh?" She made a face.

"Yes, Paige. The task that I've been called forth to do is now done. And my place is back in the afterlife with all the others who came before and after me."

Paige stepped forward to embrace her.

"Aw. But I was just starting to get to know you," she pouted playfully, while hugging the woman responsible for the magical destiny she now had.

They pulled back from the hug.

"True," Melinda stated. "But a part of me will always be with you. With all of you," she turned to address all the sisters. "It's in what you do. And remember, I'm only a summoning spell away whenever you need me."

The other sisters stepped forward to hug Melinda and offer their good-byes before sending her back into the afterlife where she belonged. They huddled around her, forming a circle, and held hands for the third time this evening.

_"Melinda Warren," _Prue stated. _"Blood of our blood, we release you." _

She smiled back as the gold and white orbs rematerialized to carry her away. But before she vanished completely, her last words were carried with the wind, as the four sisters watched her depart.

_"Blessed be, my daughters. Be safe as one!" _

**ooooo**

The Inspector flung the door open, leading into his darkened apartment.

After flicking on the light switch, the one found on the wall next to the door, he threw his keys and briefcase down onto the lounge chair. Quickly, he took determined strides in the direction of the small cabinet found in his living room, the same cabinet that housed his liquor. Pulling a glass out, he filled it with blocks of ice and then poured into it the contents of his choosing.

He walked back over for his briefcase, drink in one hand. Grabbing for it, he took it and sat back down on the couch. Placing his drink down, he reached inside the briefcase for the secret file he sought. It was the same one he kept hidden and locked away inside his drawer at the precinct.

Opening the file, he began to scan the contents. There were pictures of the victim and any evidence obtained during the investigation. In truth, there hadn't been much to find. He had been the Inspector assigned to the Richard and Jenna Devlon case twenty years ago. They never found the victim's missing baby but he did manage to secure an arrest for the brother who was tried, convicted, and then finally sentenced to death.

He shoved the contents of the file across the coffee table and further away from him as he thought about the current arrangement he was now involved in. He was almost certain that the individual he was dealing with was somehow connected back to this case and it was because of the girl. This strange man had practically admitted it to him when he came to him with the plan all those months ago. The deal had been to track down the missing baby from one of his cases and to keep a watch on the mysterious Halliwells, all in exchange for his revenge. As coincidence may have had it, both of their situations were linked and connected back to the Halliwells. Therefore, at the time, he had been more than eager to accept the agreement without asking too many questions. But exactly how the man knew where and how to find him was a whole other matter.

Was he mad, a real life mad man? He couldn't help but laugh to himself as the thought crossed his mind. Sure he was. But he was beyond caring at this point. Life had taken alot of bad turns for him but once he had his revenge everything would be right with the world. It's what kept him going.

He moved his hand to the back of his pocket and pulled out his wallet. And from his wallet, he removed a picture of her. His daughter.

He reached for his gun and began twirling it in one hand.

"Soon. Your death will be avenged very soon," he voiced. "Even if I have to do it myself."

**ooooo **

Lana had drifted into a deep slumber during the night and in the hours after JD and Billie both departed.

However, that peaceful state she sought to immerse herself within was suddenly disturbed with the feel of a strange hand that covered her mouth, muffling any sound that attempted to come out. She had almost sensed it immediately and her eyes bolted open.

But it was already too late.

Before she could even react and use her powers, they both faded out of sight together.

* * *

**To Be Continued: Hehe. Who has Lana now?**

Alright, thanks for reading and please, please don't forget to review. I like to know what you're all thinking out there. Also, I am working on another story too titled **A Witch Lost in Time**. So I'm trying to split my time between the two and post a chapter for each one when I do post. With that said, hope you enjoyed.

**Coming Up: **The sisters learn to adjust to their new power-base, Billie has a confrontation with the sisters about her involvement with Lana, and Gideon/the Triad further their plans along against the sisters/next generation with the help of the darklighter.

**Stay Tuned :o)**


	34. The Mistaken Identity

Another big thanks goes out again to all my great readers/reviewers:

**I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts**, **Farah A.**, **charmingbrenda**, **PrUe AnD AnDy**, **cancer-chris**, **Welshcanuck**, **charmedgirl-alyssaphoebe**, and **LadybugHalliwell**.

Thanks for the reviews you guys. They are awesome as always and help contribute in making this story go on. It's how I know people are reading and into the story.

**I.Dont.Break.Bones.Just.Hearts:** lol, thanks so much for that high compliment. It made me laugh though because sometimes the fans do come up with better things, don't they? **;o) **

**Welshcanuck:** yup, you betcha', the sisters are going to give her an earful. I'm glad you're still reading and enjoying the plot twists.

**charmedgirl-alyssaphoebe:** you're definitely going to get to see what it means for the sisters' powers coming up in this chapter. **:o)**

**Farah A,** **charmingbrenda**, and **PrUe AnD AnDy**: Thank you so much for your continued interest and I'm very happy you enjoy the story so much. Makes me giddy, hehe ... **lol**.

**LadybugHalliwell:** Welcome on-board here. Also, I answered some of your questions in more depth over at C-net. **;o)** Hope you stick around and enjoy the rest. Thanks for reviewing.

**cancer-cris:** lol. Wow, you've really analyzed it, huh? Okay. To answer your question about Gideon/Triad using the incantation, here it goes:

First, it's really important to remember that Gideon is the biggest threat here because, as a former Elder, he has knowledge the rest of the Triad wouldn't have without him. Gideon is the one that would know about the incantation and its use. The rest of the Triad/Evil just knew that the power would exist and without Gideon would continue to find ways to either access it or use it to destroy the Charmed Ones because that's how evil works, lol.

As an Elder, Gideon struck the whole initial arrangement with the avatar to have the incantation destroyed. However, the avatar never actually destroyed it. It ended up with Dumain because avatars can play either side, good or evil. But my story hints at the fact the avatar wasn't really truthful about the Ultimate Power incantation with Dumain either because he allowed the demon to believe that Billie was the power. Thus, that whole plan to use Billie against the Charmed Ones during the Ultimate Battle came into play. It didn't work.

Now, as both Melinda and Gideon revealed, the incantation was recorded within an unknown language to both sides. It was a type of protection put in place against the wrong side ever getting their hands on it; however, it doesn't stop it from happening if the language is broken down. The Charmed Ones were able to constitute the power without the incantation because of Melinda Warren. She was the essential link to the incantation because it passed through her from her gift of premonition centuries ago. So that's how the sisters were able to tap into the power through her, during the last chapter.

The power-base can be used at the same time and that's why it's dangerous. And The Ultimate Power is still Charmed power it's just stronger than The Power of Three. You'll see more of how this all works in the upcoming chapters but hopefully I'm providing a little more understanding until you get to see how it is the sisters' new power-base works.

As for Gideon and the rest of the Triad using the incantation? It doesn't matter that the Charmed Ones already constituted it. Evil can't access the power in the same way as the sisters, the incantation has to be read backwards by evil just like the real Christy revealed to Billie during the dream state. Which means if evil has it in their possession to read it backwards, they have a permanent backdoor into using the Charmed Ones' power-base. It will last for a duration of time; however, after they use the power it will need to be re-infused because evil is not the Charmed Ones themselves. They can't hold onto the power indefinitely. The incantation's rightful place is in the Book of Shadows, which is magical in and of itself (protecting itself against evil). And we've seen many examples throughout the entire eight seasons that when evil got its hands on the Book, they were able to get to the sisters and their power. It's almost the same here only we're talking about the incantation instead of the Book. The incantation will need to be destroyed because it ignites "Charmed power." Does that make more sense?

Now, is there a problem if the translation of this incantation were to become memorized; thus, making the piece of paper itself useless? Hehe... that would make logical sense right? Well, no because the page itself is the magical link. You'll definitely find out why that's not going to be the case here. And it's connected back into the whole unknown language bit. **;o)**

Hope that provided a little more insight to you and maybe anyone else who was wondering similar things. And thank you very much for the compliments you paid me. They mean alot and I'm glad that you find this story to be that good that you consider it the best.

And on we go. Next chapter begins after these messages **lol ...**

In the first section _"Aminus pias puntosque!" _appears. (A/N: made-up, not a real translation by me)

* * *

**Chapter 33: The Mistaken Identity**

He orbed them both back into the dark, dingy confines of Gideon's Underworld cavern.

Lana struggled within the darklighter's grasp until he deposited her, with a rough push, onto the hard, dirt ground found beneath her. She was lying flat on her stomach and brought her head up only to notice Gideon slowly advancing on her. Unfortunately, she hadn't had much time to react when she was grabbed so she was dismayed to discover that all of her powers were, in fact, useless after attempting to use them against her assailant moments ago. And they wouldn't work now either.

_Great. Gideon has this stupid place protected against me, _she thought.

He knelt down in front of her. "Well, well. Hello there," Gideon openly mocked her. "Welcome back."

Without responding back to the barb, Lana just proceeded to lift herself up from the ground and brushed herself off. She issued him a cold glare.

"Ah?" Gideon remarked. "I see that someone has managed to learn the art of keeping their mouth shut for once," he sneered. "Although, I must admit I didn't expect you to be found this easily. You've been cloaking yourself from the collective quite successfully for some time now." Then he paused for her reaction. "However, on the other hand, I must say it's not at all surprising to me in the least. It was only a matter of time before you slipped up and gave into your evil nature. No matter how hard you try to pretend you can be normal, it's a part of you," he baited her. "It's like this festering wound that will never completely heal."

Lana just sneered back. "That's where you're wrong, Gideon," she spoke. "And I may have that dark-side to me that I'll never be able to get rid of. But the truth is I have more will-power to suppress it than you'll ever have! See, I have an excuse for being what I am. But what's yours? A former Elder who only knew serving the side of good?"

Lana watched with some satisfaction as the shades of color shifted on his face. She had hit a big nerve, and she knew it. But she hadn't allowed his reaction to deter her.

"That's right, Gideon, I know about who you are," she continued on. "Billie and JD took the liberty of sharing the news with me. You're pathetic. A coward who didn't even have the courage or the strength to stand by the greater good!"

The darklighter glanced between Lana and Gideon, watching as the Triad's anger grew by the second with each passing word that left her mouth.

"I tracked the whitelighter which led me to her," the darklighter opted to share, hoping it might help diffuse the growing anger that could lead to Lana's premature demise. They still needed her for the their plan to work.

Gideon's focus remained on Lana.

"How do you explain being that weak and giving into ..." Lana began shouting but was suddenly cut off by a strong slap across the face that sent her falling back to the ground. She caught her fall with her hands and landed back on her stomach.

"Shut-up! Or I'll make you shut-up!"

A giant, flaming fireball was brought to life in the palm of Gideon's hand. Some of Lana's hair had moved across her face and she blew some away from her mouth. And as she turned her head to observe his loss of control, she smirked in return. The darklighter immediately stepped forward in protest at the sight playing out before him.

"But we need her, my lord!" he reminded the enraged Triad member.

Gideon clenched his teeth together as he fought hard to regain his composure. The words had penetrated but in this moment he just wanted to be done with her. Even if she would resurrect later on down the line. He could always figure out a way to be done with her for good once the translation to the Ultimate Power was broken down. However, he quickly relented that could ruin his plans to stop the Charmed Ones and the next generation. So he slowly brought his hand down and allowed the fire to extinguish in his hand.

"I'm afraid that your new_ friends _will be the reason you meet your end!" Gideon spat at her in a lower tone of voice but with much venom laced inside of it. He turned around to retrieve one of the Vicarian stones that surrounded the box in the ground.

Lana got herself up off of the ground again, just in time to watch Gideon extend his hand with the stone. Then he chanted three lone words that ignited the power.

_"Aminus pias puntosque!" _

Bursts of energy spurted forth from the stone. And at first, the crackling sparks of energy shot straight up into the air producing a heavy wind that surrounded all of them. Then it divided and headed in the direction of both Lana and the darklighter. A bright light flashed and Lana instantly found herself trapped inside of a small, rectangular cage. Immediately grabbing onto the metal bars completely surrounding her, Lana's eyes widened as she witnessed what happened next. As the darklighter became engulfed with the white energy, she witnessed the transformation of his image. He had taken on a new form. _Her_ form.

Gideon sneered at her. "Don't worry, my dear. This arrangement won't be permanent." Then he turned to address the darklighter disguised as Lana. "Move quickly," he informed him. "I've prepared the ritual."

"No!" Lana protested, pulling at the bars and shaking the cage.

Gideon stepped forward. "Here, take these." He handed the darklighter three Vicarian stones. "They've been charged with the right magic to make you undetectable to the others. Use these stones on the children and you'll temporarily shield yourself against their powers. But return them here as fast as you can."

The darklighter nodded at Gideon, turned to sneer at Lana one last time, and then disappeared amidst the dark orbs.

**ooooo **

It was in the early morning hours and Phoebe strolled into the kitchen of the manor in borrowed pyjamas, yawning and stretching. As she entered, she encountered Prue, Piper, and Paige already awake and sitting at the table together.

"Morning sister witches," she announced, walking over to open the cabinet and retrieving a cup to pour her coffee in. "Or should I say Ultimate Power sisters," she teased, turning back around in their direction as she poured the hot steaming liquid into her cup.

"Hey. Morning yourself," Piper offered back. "Come. Sit!" she instructed playfully, using one hand to push at the extra chair still left unoccupied at the table. "Join the anxious-sister-party-express over here."

Phoebe walked over to the chair and sat down. "So I take it you guys couldn't sleep much either then, huh?" she said, taking a sip of her coffee.

Prue used one hand to rub against her eyes. "No, not really," she shared with a yawn of her own. "Definitely not with everything going on. Ever since last night I've felt like my emotions have short-circuited onto a complete overload or something. Kind of like that time I became an em-path."

"Hm? You two?" Piper inquired, looking at Prue.

"Me three?" Paige confirmed raising her hand in the air. "Every single time I closed my eyes to try and get some sleep I felt like I kept getting hit with these surges of emotions. And I think I speak for all of us when I say that one time of the month is more than enough!" she cracked.

Piper and Prue's eyes met and then they both met with Phoebe's as smirks broke out across all of their faces. Prue then reverted her gaze back down towards the table while Phoebe directed her smirk back at Paige.

"You know Paige, the midol can still be found in the same exact place it was before you moved out?" Piper cracked in a joking manner. "I mean, if you really needed one that bad!"

Paige responded by playfully narrowing her eyes back at her sister.

"Ha, Miss _I couldn't get my sleep either!"_ she teased back. "But at the risk of sounding serious here, really. Think it's just a side effect from last night?" she asked.

The other sisters shared a laugh before addressing the issue more seriously.

"Uh, maybe," Prue volunteered first. "I mean it is suppose to be a newer, stronger power. So maybe it's heightened our senses or awareness somehow? To help with the different demon vanquishes or something."

Phoebe laughed. "Well just please don't ask me if I felt anything different after last night because I get those kinds of feelings all the time. And believe me, the feelings that are coming from this table right now would be enough to short-circuit my own brain if I let it."

Her statement garnered the immediate attention of the other three.

"Okay. Just what is that suppose to mean?" Piper laughed lightly, slightly amused by the subtle accusation.

"Nothing," Phoebe laughed it off. "Forget I even said anything."

"Phoebe?" Paige hitched her voice, now narrowing her eyes at her other sister. "Dish it out or we keep digging for it!" she warned in a teasing tone of voice.

"Besides, no hidden feelings of negativity, remember?" Prue grinned, taking the liberty of reiterating the words spoken by Melinda Warren the night before.

"I'm not hiding anything it's just that ..." she let her voice trail off, while shaking her head.

"What?" Piper stressed.

"Okay! In three little words? Avoidance," Phoebe pointed at Piper first. "Repression," she then pointed at Prue. "And resentment!" she finally pointed at Paige. "There, you happy? All of your marital issues are starting to drive me bonkers. The three of you. Seriously. Please deal with it already and then move on."

The sisters stared at her in silence.

"Avoidance?" Piper parroted, breaking the silence. "Uh, look, I don't know about these two over here," she used her thumb to point in their direction. "But Leo and I certainly aren't avoiding anything. We've already been down that road before and believe me we're in no hurry to go back there."

"Hey you!" Prue playfully swatted her sister's arm.

Piper smirked in return. "Hey you nothing," she laughed lightly. "After you and Andy get to experience some magical married bliss of literally walking a mile in each others shoes a few times, then we'll talk about which one of us gets to HEY the other!" she teased.

"And, _hey_, the only thing I'm resenting right about now is your accusation about resentment," Paige added, nodding her head at Phoebe in firm rebuttal. She folded her arms. "Henry and I are doing just fine, thank you very much!" her cheesy smile followed.

Piper smirked after catching sight of Paige's reaction.

Phoebe laughed lightly. "Okay, Prue? How about it? You gonna' deny it to?"

Prue folded her arms across the table and smirked back. "I'm not denying anything," she asserted. "But I am trying really hard to repress the urge of telling you it's none of your business," she added, finding a way to maneuver in a dig in her own Prue-like way.

Phoebe released a grin and then rolled her eyes.

"Look, you guys, I'm not intruding on purpose or anything but it's like you just said a few minutes ago," she pointed out. "Maybe this new power fine-tuned our senses and made us more alert to what we're feeling around us. It's probably what you three have been picking up on."

"Right," Paige stammered out, feeling unsure. "Our unresolved marital issues?"

Phoebe sighed. "Well, hey, it's not only you guys. I include myself too. Sort of. I'm not married yet but I'm dealing with some relationship issues of my own."

"Hey, quite the contrary," Piper protested in a good-natured manner. "Because I'm actually feeling alot better after last night," she admitted. She looked around the table at all her sisters as they listened. "This feels right," she reflected. "I mean, look at us? We're all sitting here together where we belong. And a year ago we never would have even dreamt this was possible. Slowly, she reached over and took Prue's hand in her own. She squeezed. "And I know that I've been angry and upset but I really did miss you," her eyes watered up. "And I love you. And forgive you. I really need for you to know that.

Prue's expression shifted into one of poutful affection. "Aw, sweet girl, you know I love you too," she reached across to hug her sister.

Both Phoebe and Paige watched and smiled, touched by the moment. Some of the tears fell from Piper's eyes but it was out of her control.

"So don't ever leave us again. Promise me that!" she asserted strongly.

"Not ever!" Phoebe backed Piper up with strong emotion.

Prue pulled back. "I promise I'm not going anywhere." Then she caught sight of the time on the microwave clock. "Ooh. Except going right now to get ready for my interview that's scheduled in exactly one hour," she pushed herself up from the chair and rounded the table.

"That's one early interview. At eight in the morning? Where?" Phoebe questioned.

"Uh? _Fashionably Late. _A fashion magazine!" Prue bent over and hugged Phoebe quickly. "And I love you too," she stated affectionately. Then she reached over for Paige, cupping her head gently and pecking her in a quick gesture. "And you. But please do hurry," she requested of her youngest sister before making her way to dash out of the kitchen.

Paige sighed. "It's settled then. She only loves me for my car!" she joked.

Piper and Phoebe shared a laugh together before Phoebe turned her head over her shoulder so she could throw out one last parting comment. A comment loud enough so her sister's retreating form would overhear.

"Oh, and Prue? Try not to trip and kill yourself on the way to getting dressed," Phoebe teased her. "It really was a beautiful speech Piper just made, let's not make it for nothing," she poked fun at her big sister's hasty departure.

Phoebe turned to the other sisters with gritted teeth.

"I don't remember her being that showy, was she ever that showy?" she addressed Piper about Prue's very open display of affection.

Piper smiled. "What? Don't tell me you're going to blame that on the Ultimate Power too?" she laughed.

"Nope. It's hormones. Gotta' be the hormones," Phoebe settled on.

Paige abruptly stood up. "Okay, ladies. As much as I'd love to stay and chat some more, that definitely was my cue to leave."

"What? Your hormones?" Piper teased. "You don't get that excuse. I get that excuse, I'm the one pregnant over here!"

This time Paige reached out and swatted her sister lightly. "NO! I'm lending Prue my car for the interview so she's dropping me off at work. Which means I'm off to get ready myself. Ta-ta!" she waved back playfully and went to leave the kitchen.

Piper and Phoebe were left to exchange amused expressions with each other.

**ooooo **

After the knocking sound coming from the door leading out of her dorm room had reverberated through her ears, Billie forced herself to get up out of bed and answer it.

Groggily, she approached the door, rubbing at her eyes and dragging her feet. At the moment, she really didn't care all that much about her disheveled appearance as she opened the door and was greeted by the last person she ever expected to see.

"Lana?" she declared, trying to shake herself completely awake. Then she looked down the hall. "What are you doing here? Are you by yourself?"

"Billie? I need your help!" the other girl declared in what appeared to be a panic stricken state. "I can't stay at the shelter anymore. It's the Triad! They found me."

Billie interjected. "Whoa, whoa. Slow down a minute, okay? What do you mean they've found you?" she sought more clarification. Now she felt awake.

"I mean they found me. Someone showed up while I was sleeping and took me back to the Underworld! He was dressed in black and then he disappeared into his dark lights but luckily I was able to get away before he got me to the Triad! And I swear I didn't use magic for them to find me," she pleaded. "I didn't! Billie? What am I going to do? There's no way I can go back there. Not now. What if they come back after me?"

Billie tried to process all the information as fast as she could.

"Did you say dark lights?" she questioned Lana. She nodded her head in response. "The darklighter," Billie mumbled. "Okay, look, we need to get JD and go ..."

"NO!" Billie was cut off by Lana's desperate plea. "I mean," she made an effort to regain some composure. "I just think that we should leave him out of it this time. That darklighter, I heard him. He mentioned going after him. And you. JD's a whitelighter and what if he gets hurt?"

A strange feeling over this entire encounter had suddenly overtaken Billie's senses but she couldn't explain why that was. Just that something didn't feel right here. And after the other girl's initial protest against involving JD, she had sent Lana a bewildered expression. The other girl had never been opposed to his involvement, in fact, she was the one who had insisted on it from the very beginning when she had requested his help in finding her mortal family. However, Billie quickly brushed those initial feelings aside because concern for JD's safety made perfect sense.

"Alright, look, first off you need to get in here so you're not making a scene inside the hall," Billie quickly ushered her inside.

She closed the door hoping that what she decided to do next would be the right thing.

**ooooo**

Phoebe used her keys to unlock the door and stepped into her apartment. However, she really didn't have much time to get settled inside because she was instantly greeted by the sight of Coop flashing into the living room.

"Coop, not now!" she stated with determination, careful to avoid eye contact with him.

Coop shot his arms up in the air. "Okay, well then, when?" he shot back. "Because we can't pretend that this issue can be avoided forever." His eyes followed her as she removed her jacket and threw it onto the couch alongside her purse.

"Who said anything about pretending?" she challenged him, making a move for the bedroom as he followed her inside. "I'm more than aware of what the issue is and I just don't like it. And nothing you say will change my mind!"

Phoebe went straight for her closet and began pulling at her wardrobe, undecided about what she wanted to wear to work.

"Nothing I say will change your mind?" he repeated. "Well how about the fact that we're not just talking about anybody here. We're talking about someone who might be family."

Phoebe released a sardonic laugh. "Family? Please. You died and were given a new life," she stressed. "The past is the past. So why can't you just leave it where it belongs and let me and my sisters do our job!"

Phoebe's movements became more frantic as she pulled clothing from off of the hangers and then deposited the pieces onto the bed. She felt herself becoming more agitated with each passing word that left Coop's mouth.

Coop crossed his arms. "You mean let you and your sisters kill her?"

Her back was facing him, until Phoebe had spun around on him.

"She's a demon!" she let out. "And yes, in case you've forgotten, that is exactly what we do! Vanquish evil. This girl is a part of the Triad which means sooner or later she's coming after us. And I'm sorry Coop, but if it comes down to a choice between me or my sisters, or Billie, or one of my other nieces or nephews, yes, you better believe I'm picking them!"

Coop shook his head, clearly disappointed. Phoebe turned back around.

"So that's it?" he challenged. "You've made up your mind just like that? You're not even going to give it a chance even for me? Despite the fact that this girl hasn't even made a single move against you or your sisters since Billie and JD have been keeping a watch over her?"

"We don't know for sure that she hasn't," she countered. "And Billie is a naive kid who is still learning the ropes," she argued back at him.

"Well then how about despite the fact that you were willing to give Cole the same chance once?"

Phoebe's movements stopped at the mention of Cole's name. She shook her head back and forth, releasing what sounded like a sigh mixed with a laugh.

"How dare you throw Cole, of all people, in my face. He's exactly the reason I won't go down that road again. I've already learned the hard way. And it looks like your intent on doing the same, so if you'll now excuse me now, I need to be getting ready for work."

She kept her back facing him as she made a selection in a distracted manner.

"Phoebe, that's a total cop out!" he accused.

"Just drop it!"

"There was alot more to the history shared between you and Cole and you know that."

Phoebe felt the anger well up inside her. She didn't want to talk about this. Cole was dead and buried. Period.

_Why couldn't he leave well enough alone?_

"Ugh!" she screeched in frustration, bringing her hands up into the air, with her back still to him. "What don't you understand about _just drop it?" _she yelled. "Cole's history! He's all the proof I needed to show me that it didn't matter how hard he tried, in the end he was a prisoner to who he really was. A demon. He couldn't be changed and neither can this girl. I really don't know how to make it any clearer for you than that."

However, when her rant was met with complete silence, Phoebe finally turned around only to be startled by the sight standing before her.

"Uh! Whoa!" she jumped a little.

There standing before her was Coop, frozen in place. Phoebe's eyes widened and then she looked down at her hands in surprise. Had she just frozen her fiance by using Piper's power? How was it even possible? It had to have happened in the moment she felt the anger and frustration reach its peak, during the moment she had lifted up her hands.

"Oh, no way," she uttered in disbelief. She slowly stepped in front of him, waving her hands back and forth in front of his face. "Coop?" He didn't budge. "Okay, Phoebe, think," she instructed herself. "How does Piper undo it? Right, with her hands."

She rolled her eyes at herself for how dumb she felt for even questioning it and tried once again to use her hands to unfreeze him. But, still, she had no luck.

"Oh, this isn't good."

Phoebe resumed in the direction of the living room to access her cell phone. Reaching for it in her purse, she grabbed it and dialed Piper. After hearing the ring-tone repeat in the background for several seconds, someone finally answered.

"Piper? It's Phoebe." She laughed before giving her question. "Remember this morning when we thought our new power may have some how awakened our senses? Well it turns out that I think it did a little more than that."

She paused, closed her eyes, and then gritted her teeth.

"I need your help over here. I think I just froze Coop and I can't fix it!"

**ooooo **

Piper finished walking through the living room and into the conservatory area just in time to catch both Wyatt and Molly in the beginning stages of another argument.

"No, give it to me!" little Molly's voice traveled. She was kneeling on the floor across from Wyatt who protested in return.

"It's mine!"

Piper stopped to observe the scene before intervening.

"Hey! No fighting you two. Or the toys get put away," came her warning.

She bent down to pick up Chris when suddenly she heard the phone ring. Piper headed for the cordless phone in the kitchen, Chris still in her arms, and picked it up only to discover Phoebe's frantic voice coming from the other end.

"Hello?"

_"Piper? It's Phoebe." She laughed before giving her question. "Remember this morning when we thought our new power somehow awakened our senses? Well it turns out that I think it did a little more than that."_

Piper took on a look of confusion. She shifted the phone to the other ear so that she could steady Chris better. "Okay," she stammered. "So what else do you think it did?"

However, she became distracted as soon as she heard the raised voices of Wyatt and Molly once again, who were now embroiled in a full blown tantrum. She marched out of the kitchen, making her way back into the conservatory sun-room.

_"I need your help over here. I think I just froze Coop and I can't fix it!"_

"Phoebe, uh, can you hold on a second, we've got a small problem over here that needs some fixing," she vented over the phone.

She took it away from her ear and placed it down onto the small table. However, a quick second later, the words registered and she threw the phone back up against her ear as her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wait! Did you just say you froze him?"

_"Uh yeah! I think I've established that already in addition to the sound of me obviously freaking out over here," her voice raised a notch._

"Uh, Pheebs, how is that even possible? Freezing is my power," she countered.

Molly and Wyatt were now standing on their feet, playing tug of war with a giant-sized stuffed teddy bear. Piper watched and felt torn between listening to Phoebe and intervening on the small fight which had broken out only seconds ago. She placed Chris back onto the floor.

_"Well, get over here and help me figure it out!" _

"Phoebe, I can't, I've got the kids," Piper protested. "HEY!"

_"WHAT?"_

"Not you, the kids!"

_"Oh!"_

Suddenly, Piper felt her head dip and her astral form left her body relocating itself across the room from her natural self and on the other side of Wyatt and Molly. Both children looked between the two Pipers while Piper's astral form looked on in surprise. Then, her astral form finally faded, returning back to her body. Piper gasped in surprise.

"Whoa! What was that?" came her rhetorical question, while looking herself over. Her attention turned back to the kids. "Uh, okay, hand it over. Now!" she instructed of them, referring to the teddy bear. As she waved her hand in their direction, the bear suddenly lifted up from out of the children's arms and landed with Piper.

"Okay. I guess you weren't kidding!" she said to herself in mere disbelief, referring to Phoebe's revelation. She was completely taken aback.

_"Piper?" _

She heard the pleading sound of her name coming from the other end of the phone and quickly placed the phone closer to her ear, shock registering.

"Uh, yeah. Look, I'll see if I can get Dad to watch the kids. I'll be right there!"

She instantly clicked the phone off trying to piece together what all this meant. Somehow and someway, she had just managed to astrally project herself and use telekinesis all within a matter of minutes. Powers that were distinctly Prue's. And Billie's.

What was going on?

**ooooo**

Prue sat in traffic with her head resting against the side of the car door and with her fingers drumming against the steering wheel.

Her eyes glanced back at the digital clock that now read 7:55 am. She was so not making this interview on time and all because of some idiot holding up early rush hour traffic. The jerk had stopped to get out of his car and made his way over to the car behind him. The second man proceeded to exit his own vehicle and the two of them were now engaged in a full-blown shouting match over whether the first was driving to slow or the other one was driving too close behind, resulting in his bumper being hit. Unfortunately, she had the distinct pleasure of being the person following behind both cars as she watched the scene in front of her.

"You have got to be kidding me," she groaned out loud.

Prue closed her eyes and tried using some breathing exercises to clear the mounting frustration that was building up quite rapidly. However, just as quickly, she gave up and pounded against the horn which sent the loud sound blaring at the two men.

"Move it!" she shouted. "Some of us have places to be!"

The men turned to stare at her through the windshield. "Lady, shut-up, will ya'?!"

Prue considered getting out of the car but just as quickly reconsidered it. She could not believe her luck. The first job interview she lands in weeks and she had to miss out on it because of two jerks who needed to engage in some pointless macho stand-off? She needed this job dammit.

"Ugh! Jerks!" she groaned, lifting her hands up into the air and releasing all the built-up energy that came with those words.

_BOOM!_

Prue jumped. Her mouth was left agape as she heard the sound and then watched the tires on the car in front of her pop and explode, sending the car toppling to its side. Both men took deep dives over to the opposite side of the tumbling car, startled expressions in place. Luckily, neither one of them managed to get hurt but everyone was completely confused by what had just happened.

"Oh oh oh" Prue began to chant frantically, looking between her own hands and the displaced vehicle. "I didn't."

In truth, she had felt the energy release itself from her but she had never anticipated the disastrous result that was now sprawled out before her. Besides, wasn't blowing things up suppose to be Piper's whole deal? However, she was startled from out of her thoughts by the sudden knocking against her door window.

"Lady, you okay?"

Prue turned to look. One of the passengers from another car from behind had obviously taken the initiative to get out and see if she was alright, being that she was so close to the unexplainable explosion. She rolled down the window.

"I'm fine!" she assured him. "I think," she mumbled more to herself than the man.

As soon as the man stepped back, Prue exited the car, running over in the direction of the same two men who had been arguing moments ago. They were lying on the ground, staring at the wreckage, while trying to figure out what had happened. She offered to help them up.

"Are you okay?" she extended a hand.

"What the hell was that?" one man exclaimed. "It came out of nowhere!"

Prue released a nervous laugh. "I'm not sure."

She watched as both men lifted themselves off the ground and then turned her head only to hear sirens approaching from the distance. Slowly, she headed back to the car to retrieve her cell phone. Then, dialing the number to the fashion magazine she waited for someone to answer. She leaned against the roof of the car, closing her eyes and shaking her head. What exactly it meant to be one of the Charmed Ones was definitely coming back full force. She rolled her eyes after thinking it.

_"Fashionably Late Magazine, this is Judy, how may I help you?"_

Prue immediately straightened her posture.

"Uh, hi. This is Prue Halliwell. I had an interview that was scheduled for eight this morning but unfortunately it looks like I won't be able to make it. Really really bad accident," she stressed, a small laugh following as she thought about how those words applied to what she had caused. "Would it be at all possible to reschedule?"

**ooooo**

Paige sat in her office, drumming her fingers across the keyboard, entering the new data to the new case file that had just crossed her desk. She was feeling extremely anxious and preoccupied after realizing she had fallen behind on her workload. And to top it off, her assistant had called out sick the past week so she needed to cover work from that end too.

Between dealing with all the family revelations, Piper's accident, Henry being taken by demons, and coming to terms with this whole Ultimate Power situation, her normal life had started taking a backseat to magic. Again.

Suddenly, she was interrupted by the ringing of her phone. "Paige Matthews?"

_"Paige? It's me, Billie."_

"Billie? Hey, this is a work extension not a private line," she scolded gently.

_"I know, I'm really sorry, but I needed to talk to you and you weren't picking up your cell phone," she informed her._

"Uh, that's because I'd be busy doing a little something called work?" Paige retorted in good humor. "And speaking of which, shouldn't you be in class right about now?"

While speaking, she continued to type and click away.

_"Yeah, but I'm going to have to skip it. Meet me back at the manor as soon as you can. It's important," responded Billie as she abruptly ended the call._

"Billie, wait, what ..." Paige stammered out but it was already too late. Billie had hung up. She shook her head, looking down at the phone. "Great. What's that girl gotten herself into now?" she mumbled with a roll of the eyes.

However, just as she went to place the phone back onto the receiver, Paige was suddenly gripped by a painful jolt to the head as an image started to play out in her mind's eye:

_It's an image of Billie standing in the attic of the manor. She appears to be talking with somebody; however, Paige can not see who it is. Billie turns around, with her back to whoever it is and remains talking, her hands waving around in the air. But as she turns back around, she witnesses the shock registering on Billie's face as an arrow is released. It hits Billie right in the stomach and she falls to the ground ..._

Paige heaves and releases a heavy breath. "Whoa, what was that?"

_Did she just receive a premonition? _

However, her concerns lying with what she saw happening to Billie, she was on her feet in a flash. There would be time to reflect on the hows and whys later. Paige went over and locked her office door before disappearing within the usual flurry of bright orbs.

**ooooo**

Piper opened the door leading into Phoebe's apartment.

"Hello?" she called out before walking inside, peeking her head inside first, and looking for any sign of her sister and a frozen Coop. "Sister here? I've come to help unfreeze the tall, dark, and cupid man!" she cracked.

Phoebe raced out of the bedroom at the sound of her sister's voice. Waving Piper over, she indicated to her that the problem was standing in the bedroom.

"Hurry! In here."

Piper followed her sister into the bedroom as the two of them stopped in front of Coop. Piper arched her brows, clearly amused, as she caught the facial expression along with the rest of the body language being displayed by him.

"He looks _really_ pissed," Piper bluntly commented. "Sure you want me to unfreeze him for you?" she joked.

"Yes," Phoebe began wailing her hands in front of herself.

"What, were you two like in the middle of fighting when it happened?" Piper laughed through her words. "How did it happen anyway?"

"Uh, short-version. I yelled, he yelled, I froze. Now just do it!" Phoebe returned.

Piper smiled, looking down at her watch. "Wow. You mean to tell me he's been standing like that, frozen, for over thirty minutes?" she asked incredulously. She lifted her hands, ending the freezing spell, and stood with a smile plastered on her face, a smile directed at Coop.

Coop was about to expound upon his argument but he was suddenly alerted to the fact that he and Phoebe were no longer alone. A confused expression took root as he looked around him, trying to figure out what had happened.

"Piper? Uh, when did you get here? Or should I ask how did you get here?"

"Yeah. That's a very good question, isn't it?" she responded, nodding her head and looking to Phoebe to take over.

Coop looked between the two.

Phoebe kept her gaze down while responding to him. "Um, yeah, look can we finish this later, please? Something else sorta' came up."

"Phoebe, we can't keep avoiding the issue," he answered.

"I'm not avoiding it, I just asked for a little time! Is that okay with you?" she shot back, her voice raised, an indication that she was still clearly agitated. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Look, there's just something else a little more pressing that I need to figure out first," she brought her voice back down.

Piper remained quiet in the background.

"Right," he relented, sounding a bit defeated. He looked up. "Someone is calling anyway. I gotta' go." And Coop left in a quick flash of pink.

A few more moments of silence was met before the sisters shared any words.

"That sounded pretty serious," Piper commented. "Maybe we're not the ones avoiding, repressing, and resenting after all?" she commented in reference to Phoebe's empathic analysis of them all earlier in the morning.

"Believe me, you don't want to know what that's about," Phoebe shook her head before turning around to face her sister. "But one problem at a time. What's going on with our powers? Clearly, it can't be a power switch. We still have our own otherwise you wouldn't have been able to unfreeze him."

Piper released a deep breath, contemplating what happened to her earlier.

"I don't know," came her honest reply. "But I did have my own run in earlier. With myself and a child's teddy bear!"

"Why, what happened?"

"Oh, I don't know, I guess that I somehow managed to project myself across the room while I was on the phone with you. Then I managed to retrieve Molly's teddy bear without actually taking it from her, if you get what I mean?" Piper remarked.

"You used Prue's powers?" Phoebe confirmed.

"Yup! Don't ask me how."

Phoebe thought about it. "Okay, so what does this mean? That the power somehow allows us to tap into each others powers?" she speculated. "Which if it's already happened to us then it's probably bound to happen to Prue and Paige. If not already."

Piper's cell phone began to ring. She checked the caller ID to find that it was Prue calling from her new cell phone. She flashed a smile at Phoebe.

"Well, I guess we're about to find out," she informed her. "Hello?" she answered.

_"Hey, Piper. You're not gonna' believe what happened to me on the way to this interview, which I never got to by the way," she stressed._

Piper looked at Phoebe. "Oh, I think I can take a pretty good guess."

_"Why, did something happen on your end?"_

"Yeah, you can say that. Phoebe and I are trying to figure it out as we speak."

_"Okay, well whatever it is, it can't be as bad as what I did. I caused an accident this morning in the middle of downtown traffic and didn't even mean to do it. These two guys were backing up traffic and out of nowhere I just made the tires explode."_

"What? Okay, Prue, talk about road rage?" Piper cracked. "Was anyone hurt?"

She had Phoebe's complete attention. "What happened?"

_"No, thank god, but we need to figure out how to control this before it happens again."_

Piper sighed. "Yeah, I agree. Uh, where are you now?"

_"On my way back to the manor. You still there?"_

"No, I'm over at Phoebe's. Dad dropped me off but we'll meet you back there. Bye." She hung up the phone and then turned to address Phoebe. "Uh, Prue had an accident. She's not hurt but I did just tell her we'd meet her back at the manor."

Phoebe nodded. "Alright, to the manor it is."

And without expecting or intending do it, the directive created a swirl of blue and white orbs that took both sisters from out of the apartment and to the location they sought to be at.

**ooooo**

Billie stood in the attic of the manor, pacing back and forth.

She was nervous. Nervous about how the sisters would react to it but it needed to be dealt with, there was no more waiting. Phoebe already knew but the others didn't. And in the present moment it hadn't gone unnoticed by her how Lana appeared to be keeping her distance as well. Billie convinced herself that it probably just had to do with being nervous too so she pushed her feelings of uneasiness aside. After bringing Lana back to the manor with her, Billie had called Paige from her cell phone not too long ago. Hopefully, she would show up soon.

"Listen, if they freak out at first, you have to promise me not to do anything stupid," Billie tried warning the other girl. "Of course, maybe it won't even come to that if they all just decide to kill me first," she cracked against herself.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," came the quick brush-off reply from the Lana impostor.

Billie walked over to the Book of Shadows, stopping behind the podium. However, she immediately caught sight of the cover and the different symbol with the four loops instead of the traditional three. She ran her fingers over it before opening it.

Lana, took a few steps back, not wanting to get too close.

"This is so cool!" Billie announced, flipping through the pages.

She quickly put it together that the sisters must have gained access to their new power. Which also had to mean that the Ultimate Power was what probably changed the Book too. She grabbed the Book of Shadows and began walking with it in hand.

"Maybe now there's some way to help get rid of your powers without getting rid of you."

Billie had her back turned as Lana, the darklighter in disguise, considered the next move. He decided it would be better to just take her out now. That way, he could make his move to where ever it was that the children slept and hide the stones. After all, his use for her was over because she had already provided him access to the manor. He was preparing to summon his crossbow when they were suddenly greeted by orbs.

Billie turned around just in time to be greeted by Paige. "Paige!"

Paige looked to Billie and upon seeing the other unexpected face, reacted immediately.

"Table!" she shouted, as the table disappeared in a flurry of orbs, only reappearing as it slammed straight into the disguised darklighter. It sent him crashing to the floor.

"No, Paige, wait. Don't!" Billie protested, stepping forward. "It's not what you think!"

"Not what I think?" Paige repeated. "What is the shape-shifter demon doing in the manor?" She watched as Billie ran over to assist the other girl, who appeared to be Lana, trapped on the floor. "Billie? What are you crazy, what do you think you're doing?"

She walked over to where Billie was helping to remove the broken debris off the girl.

"She's not a shape-shifter!" Billie insisted. "She's someone else. That's what I needed to see you about."

As Billie helped the other girl to her feet, Paige began to look around the attic suspiciously. Something wasn't right. Had the vision she received been wrong?

"Wait a second here!" she announced. "Where's the darklighter?"

The darklighter in disguise narrowed his eyes at her while Billie refuted it.

"What darklighter?" she questioned Paige. "There is no darklighter."

"No, Billie, I saw it. You were being attacked by a darklighter," she rebutted. "I saw the arrow hit you in my vision thingy," she explained, waving her hands up in the air.

"Your vision?" Billie shot her a questioning look. "Um, isn't that what Phoebe gets?"

"Apparently it's not just her anymore."

Their attention was suddenly captured by something else entirely as Paige and Billie were greeted with another pair of orbs, delivering both Piper and Phoebe into the attic with them. Momentarily taken aback by the sight, Paige finally spoke.

"Okay, now there's something you don't see everyday."

Phoebe grabbed out for Piper, to help balance herself, and who was just as startled by the sudden mode of transportation that they had engaged in.

"Whoa. Head rush!" Phoebe reached for her head.

"Well, it beats getting through traffic. Just ask Prue," Piper cracked.

Paige scrunched up her face, trying to figure out what was happening. "Prue?" she questioned. "What's she got to do with it? And that's my power. Thieves!" she teased.

"Uh, yeah, and blowing things up is mine but apparently Prue became better acquainted with it this morning. She blew out some poor guy's tires on the road on her way to that interview," shared Piper.

Phoebe laughed. "What?"

"Yeah, but thank god nobody was hurt," Piper reflected. "We all know that our powers are tied directly to our emotions and until we can get that under control."

"Wow. So it's happening to you guys too?" commented Paige.

"Yup. I got a taste of what it's like to have Piper's other power. At Coop's expense."

"You froze him?" Paige asserted.

"I froze him."

"Wow. I guess that kind of brings it back to me. I just had a premonition of Billie being attacked in this attic by a darklighter!" Paige informed them.

"A darklighter?" Phoebe voiced with concern.

Billie listened to the conversation going back and forth until the attention was turned to her. Piper and Phoebe directed their attention on her at the same time, immediately taking notice of the girl standing beside her. Phoebe made threatening moves forward.

"Billie, what the HELL is she doing here?" she asserted strongly.

Piper lifted her hands about to go on the attack when Billie stepped in front of the Lana impostor to ward it off.

"Piper don't!"

"Billie, are you nuts, move out of the way!" Piper demanded.

"You don't understand. Phoebe, look, I know you're mad at me for not telling you right away but please just hear me out," she pleaded.

"Billie, I don't want to hear it out. You've been helping a demon and you're just lucky that you haven't gotten yourself killed already because of it."

"But she's not just a demon. And what about Coop?" she inquired.

Piper darted her eyes between the two. "Okay. Confused. What is she talking about?" she inquired regarding Billie's remarks. "Not telling what right away and what about helping a demon? Somebody better tell me what's going on here."

"That's no shape-shifter. She's a part of the Triad!" came Phoebe's startling revelation.

**ooooo**

Prue opened the front door to the manor, feeling very much on edge. A power failure freak-out hadn't been on the agenda today but on the bright side at least she had been successful in securing another interview for a later date and time.

"Hello?" she announced stepping into the foyer.

She removed her jacket; however, while coming into closer contact with the staircase she definitely thought she heard what sounded like a heated argument taking place upstairs. With a questioning look, she began the long ascent up the stairs until she reached the second floor. Yup, it was definitely arguing and it was coming from the attic. She made her move towards it.

After coming up the stairs and walking through the door, Prue entered the scene of an argument taking place between her sisters and Billie. Another strange girl, one she had never seen before and was surrounded by an electrical force-field generated from the crystals on the floor, appeared to be at the center of the heated debate.

"But she's the only reason JD even found me in the first place," Billie justified. "If she had really wanted to kill me she could have just done it then!"

"Billie save it!" Piper was heard scolding. "We've already been through this with you before. Keeping something like this from us is just completely unacceptable! No excuses!"

"Hey you guys, what's going on here?" Prue finally interjected with caution. She looked between everyone standing in the attic. "I could hear you all the way downstairs. What's the matter?"

"What's the matter?" Piper retorted. "Good question. Why don't you ask your _daughter_?" She placed extra emphasis on the last word, while looking pointedly at her niece.

Prue shifted her gaze towards Billie who briefly glanced back.

"Yeah, apparently, she still hasn't learned her lesson from the last time," Paige interjected, standing with her arms crossed, dismayed to discover what had been going on right under her nose. "How are we suppose to be able to trust you to do the bigger stuff if you can't even handle coming to us with what's important?"

"Not to mention today wasn't exactly the smartest day to piss us off," added Phoebe. "We're unpredictable," she cracked, referring to the the unexpected power boost.

"Phoebe!" Prue protested against what she perceived as a not so subtle threat.

"What?" Phoebe challenged her right back. "It's just a joke, but can you at least wait to hear what she did first before you go all mother hen on me? Besides you weren't even here last year when we had to deal with her being brainwashed by that one over there!" She pointed in the direction of the Lana impostor who only stared back.

It was Prue's turn to become defensive. "Okay well before you go and bite my head off, or hers, how about telling me why you're all so clearly pissed off?"

Billie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"I can tell her myself," she broke in, turning her attention on Prue. "I thought she was Christy last year. But it turns out she never was. Christy's dead and I found out who she was when JD found me in the Underworld. Her real name's Lana and ..." her voice trailed off.

"And what?" Prue pushed for the rest. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like this.

"She's part Triad."

Prue's eyes widened in disbelief and it took a moment for the information to register but when it finally did, she broke. Her eyes quickly darted to this Lana who was trapped inside of the demon cage, one she had actually concocted and tested out during her earlier years as a witch. When they had been trying to unmask Belthazor.

"What? And we're just finding out about this now?" she demanded.

"Look, I already know what you're probably going to say. And I've already been through it with them but she really hasn't been a threat. JD had to promise to help her find her mortal family and that's all we've been doing."

"Okay, Billie, first off we don't make deals with demons!" Prue argued.

Piper happened to glance at Phoebe and caught her uncomfortable reaction to that particular announcement made by Billie. She had shifted her gaze and then began to pace, with her arms crossed together.

"I've only known the real truth about her since I got away from Gideon."

"Billie? That's way over two months ago?" Prue raised her voice higher. "Why didn't you say something then?"

"Ha! Now who sounds pissed?" Piper couldn't help but pass the crack.

Billie huffed. "Well, maybe because things have gotten so crazy around here I just figured I could help out and handle it on my own. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time somebody in this family tried to help someone out of the mixed breed variety!"

Phoebe jumped in to defend the dig. "Whoa, hold up. Don't even go there. I learned from my mistake. Besides, is that what all that Q&A about Cole was for over a couple weeks back? To find a way to bind demonic powers?"

She interpreted Billie's silence as admission. Phoebe rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Great."

"It's better than killing her if we don't have to, right?" Billie countered.

Paige jumped in this time. "No Billie it's not. Because, uh, surprise surprise. Like a leopard, evil doesn't change its spots." It was the quickest analogy that popped into her mind.

"Well, gee," Billie became sarcastic. "Thanks so very much for enlightening me. Because without it, I don't think I would have ever mastered the brains to pick up that evil is a bad thing. Except that in this case we just so happen to be dealing with someone who's mortal too. Oh, and I almost forgot. Someone who Inspector Richardson happens to be looking for and thinks is Christy. So maybe we should think twice before vanquishing her?"

The facial reactions in response to her tart tongue made her cringe a bit on the inside; however, it wasn't enough to deter her altogether. She had become upset and on some level she had even expected them to be upset with her but she wasn't truely prepared for the full-blown attack. Why couldn't they see where she was coming from even a little bit?

Billie glanced over at Lana one final time before making her move to leave. "Sorry," she offered in the other girl's direction. "I'm outta' here."

As she hurried away, she brushed past Prue, who closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Billie? You get back here?" Piper yelled out but was ignored as Billie left the attic. "Well, it's so nice to see she has your knack for being stubborn?" she directed at Prue. "Ugh. I swear, that girl is going to drive us all up the wall with worry to the day we die."

"Okay, now, what's all that about Inspector Richardson?" Phoebe inquired.

"I don't know. It's the first I've heard of it," informed Prue.

"Better have a talk with Andy about that one," Piper threw in. "That's all we need is another Inspector to come nosing around with all the demon action going on around here." She was remembering their very unpleasant encounter with Inspector Sheridan from a couple years back. And then she turned her attention from Prue to Phoebe. "And, hey, what's up with you over there? Is there something you're not telling us either?"

"What?" Phoebe countered.

"Billie mentioned Coop," Paige clarified for her.

Phoebe sighed and looked to the floor. "Right, Coop. Well, let's see. Where do I begin. Oh, how about with the little twist on the story. Which is that the mortal family Billie was tracking down happens to lead back to him."

"What?" Piper exclaimed. "How?"

Phoebe took another deep breath before continuing. "Coop had a mortal life before his life as a Cupid. His name was Richard and he had a younger sister who was killed. But she also had a daughter that went missing. Kidnapped by demons."

"And that daughter just so happens to be her?" Piper stammered out, turning to look and point in the Lana imposter's direction.

"Unfortunately. That's what it looks like," Phoebe admitted.

"Okay," Paige emphasized. "I think I'm beginning to see the problem here," she commented, thinking how something like this could definitely put a strain on Phoebe's relationship with him. "So I take it Coop's not so hot with the idea of killing someone off who might be his niece."

"Well, right about now, I'd like to blow up ours!" Piper jested, still upset that Billie hadn't mentioned the whole situation to any of them before now.

"Understatement. And it's a sensitive topic. He was accused and put to death for his sister's murder," Phoebe shared in response to Paige.

Prue made a face. "That's horrible."

Paige looked between her sisters. "So I guess this means vanquishing her is off the table?"

All the sisters shared a silence as they all turned to look in the Lana imposter's direction. The darklighter only stared right back, taking in all the bits and pieces of information he found useful to report back with to the Triad. He hated having to play along, he would have much preferred taking them out on the spot instead of letting them hold him captive in this way. But then that would ruin their plan. No, his patience would win out in the end.

Prue stepped forward. "I say she lives for right now. Until we figure out what to do. But we keep her right in there."

"No arguments here," Piper supplied.

The four sisters slowly departed from the attic, one followed by the next.

**ooooo**

_**Underworld ...**_

The other three Triad members had surfaced in Gideon's hidden cavern.

"What do you mean we need some incantation to get to the power?" the SECOND Triad member snarled.

"Dumain never mentioned it when we sent Lana in with Billie to destroy The Charmed Ones?" the THIRD member added.

"With all due respect," Gideon countered in an even tone. "Dumain was an idiot."

"And why haven't you mentioned it until now?" the SECOND member accused.

"Because I had to make sure it was still out there for me to get my hands on, that's why. The Charmed Ones are the only ones capable of sustaining the power. And the only other way for us to gain access into it is through the backwards reading of these words. But once we use the power we will need to recharge with it. But if the incantation disappears, then so does the knowledge of what the language means."

The FIRST Triad listened. "Have the sisters awakened the power? What use is this to us if they haven't yet?" he inquired.

"If they haven't awakened it from their end, all the better," Gideon sneered. "It'll make us stronger then them when we tap into their Charmed power-base. But even if they have it already, it doesn't matter. We have the key to getting in."

Lana stood inside the cage, listening to the ongoing debate. They had arrived some time ago to learn of her capture and then moved on to discover that Gideon had recovered an incantation belonging to the Charmed Ones, the same missing page that would be responsible for igniting the Ultimate Power.

The Triad turned their attention in her direction.

"And what of her?" the THIRD member sneered, walking closer to the cage.

Lana shrunk backwards and curled herself up while taking a seat on the dirt ground.

Gideon chuckled. "Her time is coming my dear friend. Soon she'll meet her end. As soon as the darklighter completes his task, the Charmed Ones will be more than willing to make sure they rid themselves of her for good. And for us!"

Lana slowly lifted her head up to meet Gideon's glare. And then he laughed.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **Alrighty, another chapter done. Thanks for reading and I hope it kept you entertained. And of course, you all know the drill. Push that little purple button found down in the corner and please review. **:o)**

Those of you waiting for _**A Witch Lost in Time**_, another chapter should be up in a couple days.

**Stayed Tuned ...**


	35. All Signs Point to Fear

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone. I'd just like to take the time to let you all know that I'm back. Also, I know I've been gone over four months but I'd really like to take the time to thank everyone for their very kind words and understanding over my situation. When I got to reading them, all of your comments meant alot to me and they just reminded me how great my readers/reviewers are and have been. Some of you even went out of your way to send personal PMs. You all know who you are so thanks a bunch (Big hugs). **:o)**

Here's a bit of an update on my situation. Luckily, my family and I have secured a place to live and we have been rebuilding slowly. Some positive news is that I do now have access to a second hand computer so I will be able to continue with my stories. Yay, **lol**. My updates will continue to come as I get back into my writing again. I did take some time to read through my other chapters and to edit them. There is some dialogue shifting but nothing that changes the plot of the story whatsoever. Also, I changed my summary to give readers a better idea on what the story is about. In the beginning, I wasn't too sure how much I wanted to put in it but I like this one better, **lol. **Just wanted to make you all aware of it.

Anyway, here's a new update that I've been able to piece together for all of you. I've been away awhile and had to re-watch **season 8 **to recover from the writers block. So if my writing seems a little rusty, I offer my apologies. Hopefully, it'll pick back up again. Hope you enjoy it and that it's not too disappointing.** ;o)**

**On with the next chapter ...**

* * *

**Chapter 34: All Signs Point to Fear**

The crisp, cool, night air settled everywhere under the San Francisco night sky.

Billie strolled at a steady pace, her arms crossed together, an internal battle playing out inside of her mind. Desperately, she sought a way to justify her actions in order to ease her own guilty conscious about not coming forward with the truth sooner. And she continued to argue with herself as she walked along the smooth pavement found in the cemetery.

As angry as she was in the moment, she began to realize that her biggest problem wasn't really with the sisters at all. It was with herself. A big part of her was still living in the past. She was still trying to prove herself to the sisters because of all her past transgressions which were, in effect, making her feel inadequate. Despite all of their reassurances of forgiveness and moving on with the future. And if that wasn't bad enough, now she had a new mother to prove something to on top of everything else.

With the dark sky and it's bright crescent moon and stars hovering overhead, Billie continued along her journey until she reached the headstones of the two people lost to her forever. The inscription read, Bill and Samantha Jenkins. Since she knew she'd be spending most of her time at school and with the Halliwells, Billie had made the difficult decision to have them buried close by instead of back home. Quickly, she reflected that she would need to erect another stone in place for Christy too. It was a sad reflection.

Billie sat herself down in front of the last remnants erected in memory of her parents. A moment of silence ensued before she finally broke it.

"Mom? Dad?" she called out for them, running her fingers over the inscriptions embedded within the big stone. "Can you hear me?"

She paused, releasing a deep breath. Her eyes began to water and she brought her hand up to wipe against them.

"Well, I hope that you can," she brought her voice to just above a whisper. "Because I really need someone to talk to."

The crickets sounded in the distance and the light breeze shuffled strands of Billie's blonde hair across her face. She used her hand to push it back.

"Listen, I need for you to know how sorry I am. I screwed up big. And Mom, if you were here, I know you'd say that raising me wasn't a mistake. But it shouldn't have come at the expense of Christy. And it was my bright idea to go looking for Christy. I can't help but think that if I hadn't looked, you'd still be here."

Her voice became emotional and the tears began to fall.

"She was your daughter, your real daughter, and she didn't deserve to have her whole life ripped away from her like that. And Dad? I can't help but think that Christy is the reason we had such a hard time getting along. I'm sorry that you lost her, I am. But I was only a kid, how was I suppose to know the truth? You would barely talk to me as I got older and when you did, sometimes it felt like you were just doing it out of obligation. Didn't you know that all I wanted to hear was that you loved me just as much as you did Christy? I loved you."

Billie closed her eyes, working to calm herself down with some simple breathing exercises, before she continued to vent everything pent up inside of her.

"I hate being a witch now. Sure, it seemed fun at first but it's not what I thought it would be like. I don't know how to be one and everything I do just ends up all wrong anyway. I either get people killed or I almost do. I was just trying to help and make things right. I guess a part of me thought that if there was some way to save her," she stressed, referring to Lana, "then it could make up for Christy. That trying to find her wouldn't have been for nothing. But I can't be like the Charmed Ones. I really don't care how much blood we share or we don't share. I'm not them. Why don't they get that?"

Billie started feeling a little bit better as her self-pitying session came to its end. And as much as she felt like she wanted to just quit being a witch, she knew that reality was impossible. Especially if she learned anything from the sisters when they tried to fake their deaths over a year ago. Nope, she knew she was going to have to pull herself together, suck it up, and try to make amends with her new family. After all, they were all she had left now.

Suddenly, a slight rustling sounded from behind and Billie reacted immediately by spinning around to check for the source. However, there was nothing to be found within her line of sight.

"Somebody there?" she called out.

But there was no response, the only sign of life coming from the movement of the brush behind her which was being caused by the light breeze found in the air.

"Okay, Billie. Walking alone in a cemetery after dark? Not exactly the smartest thing," she reprimanded herself. "Definitely time to go."

As she prepared to leave, an unexpected appearance of blue and white orbs materialized behind her. Swallowing nervously, she turned back around and jumped.

"Oh my god, JD?!" she exclaimed, upon seeing him there. You scared me!"

He smiled. "Hey, do I know you?" he teased. "I thought I heard someone calling my name," his teasing continued, referring to her words spoken moments before.

However, JD didn't expect what came next as she suddenly threw herself into his arms, holding onto him tightly. JD was momentarily surprised but he held back onto her. It was clear to him that something was bothering her. He stood with her for a moment before deciding to disappear within his orbs, taking Billie away with him.

In the shadows, the dark figure calling himself Richard continued to watch their departure from a safe distance. He decided to wait and make his move at a later time. Especially since there was no sign of the other girl, Lana. Instead, he opted to get back and check up on Inspector Richardson to see what progress he was making.

**ooooo**

"Okay, baby, lift your arms so mommy can pull this over," Prue instructed of her almost four and a half year old daughter.

Molly lifted her small arms up into the air and Prue proceeded to pull the small, pink-laced, nightgown down over her before lifting her daughter's damp hair out from underneath the material. She had just finished helping Molly with her bath and now the little girl was getting ready for bed. With a heavy sigh, Prue sat back down on the bed and reached down to plug in the hair dryer. Then turning back around, she positioned Molly in front of her, turned on the hair dryer and began brushing out her daughter's hair.

Prue was trying extremely hard to keep calm while putting things into perspective but it was proving to be rather difficult, especially when a demon was lodging just a floor above them. And not just any demon, a demon who happened to be a part of the Triad. Granted, while it was true that this Lana was virtually powerless to do anything to harm them while being held a prisoner by the crystals, it still did little to offer any real reassurance. And to make matters worse, there was Billie. She had stormed out of the manor a few hours ago, completely upset, and hadn't been seen or heard from since.

"Momma? Do we get to live here forevers like Billie?" the inquisitive four and a half year old suddenly broke Prue from her train of thought.

The little girl sat in front of her mother with her small legs crossed. On her lap, sat her brand new doll and she imitated her mother's actions by brushing out her doll's matching blonde-hair with a small pink-colored comb. The doll wasn't actually brand new by any standards but to the little girl who had gone without toys for over a year, it certainly was something brand new in her eyes. The doll was actually around fifteen years old. It had been a gift from Billie to Molly and it just so happened that it had been Billie's favorite doll growing up. But the doll had actually belonged to her sister Christy before the abduction. Billie had clung to it in her early childhood years because it had helped her feel closer to Christy. She only came across it again while packing up what was left of her parents belongings not too long ago. It only would have ended up in storage so Billie decided to give it to the little girl instead.

Prue thought about how it would be best to answer the question, especially since she hadn't broken the news yet about Billie.

"Sure, sweetie, we'll be here for a little while," she settled on. "Just like Billie."

"And if we go we can take Billie with us, right mommy? Cause I like her alots. She gave me my doll," she explained to her mother with a bright smile.

Prue felt a bit taken aback by the questions. "That was very nice of her, Molly. I hope you remembered to thank her, right?"

"Uh-huh," she nodded her small head. "And guess what?"

"What baby?"

"Billie plays games with me too, mommy. My favorite game," the little girl continued on, completely oblivious to her mother's discomfort on the subject of Billie.

Prue continued to listen. "Mm," she mumbled.

"That means she can come with us?" the little girl asked a second time.

Prue turned off the hair dryer as she finished drying her daughter's hair. "Uh, well, Billie's a big girl sweetie so she gets to live where she wants. But that doesn't mean you won't see her. I'm sure she'll still be around to play games with you."

"How do you know, mommy? What if she moves far far away like in my stories and finds someone else to play with her?" Molly spread her arms wide apart to demonstrate.

Prue sighed. Quite frankly, she hadn't given much thought to when the right time would be to tell Molly the truth about Billie nor was she sure how she would go about it. Especially when she was still coming to terms with the truth herself and telling Andy. Even they still hadn't worked past the secret yet. But, while reflecting on it, she decided that now was as good a time as any. They were already on the subject.

"Billie's not going to move far away, baby, because she's just like us," Prue opened up. "I promise. Which is why you and I are going to have a little talk. Come here," she called out affectionately.

Molly turned around to face her mother and Prue reached so she could scoop her closer. With her arms wrapped tightly around her daughter, she gently rested her chin against the top of Molly's head and began rocking with her.

Prue closed her eyes and kissed the top of her little girl's head. "I love you so much, baby. I'll never let anything happen to you again, I promise," some of the guilt settling in over not being able to prevent her daughter's abduction over a year ago. Always remember that, okay?" She paused before continuing. "And, see, there's a part of me that loves Billie the same way that I love you because she's like you."

"Cause we both like Chutes and Ladders?" The innocence could be heard passing through each of the words.

Prue couldn't help but smile. "Yes, of course. But it's also because before you were born, Billie was given to your daddy and me just like you were. Only, she was given to us first and then she went to live with another mommy and daddy who wanted to love her."

"Oh. She came back because she comes from your tummy like me?" Molly inquired, reaching for her own understanding. "And just like the new baby too, huh?" her small laugh carried through the sound of her voice.

"Prue looked directly into her daughter's face and smiled. She used her hands to cup her daughter's face. "Exactly. So I think we can count on Billie sticking around so that she can be a big sister for awhile, okay?"

Molly flashed a smile back at her mother. "Oh. Okay." Her attention quickly turned to something new. "Doesn't she look pretty mommy?" she asked excitedly, immediately flashing the doll at her mother and waiting for approval.

Prue nodded her head. "Absolutely beautiful, baby. Just like you."

"She going to sleep with me," Molly announced proudly.

"Good." Then Prue turned playful on her daughter. "Because it's time for this little one to get some sleep before the tickle monster attacks," she launched her fingers against her daughter's sides and began tickling.

Molly broke into fits of laughter and arched herself backwards onto the bed, rolling to each side as she tried to escape the onslaught.

"Stop," her little voice pleaded through the laughter.

"Stop?" Prue teased her daughter though her own laughing spurts. "I don't think so, I got your tummy right where I want it."

Eventually, she did put an end to the playful assault. She picked Molly up so that she was standing on the bed. Pulling back the covers, she placed her daughter down and tucked her inside. Bending down, she kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Love you, baby. Sweet dreams."

"Emma, too, mommy?" her small voice pleaded, keeping the name Billie had bestowed upon the doll all those years ago.

Prue leaning back down, placed a kiss on the doll too. "Goodnight."

She turned to the small nightstand beside the bed. Reaching over for the lamp, she turned the light off leaving the room covered in darkness.

**ooooo**

It was late in the evening at the San Francisco police precinct when a set of orbs materialized inside of a darkened room. Piper and Paige suddenly appeared and then began to cautiously move about, each searching for a light switch that would provide them with some assistance in their search.

"Paige, this really wasn't such a good idea," Piper voiced her doubts. "We should have just waited until Prue talked to Andy first."

Paige found a light switch and then flicked it on.

"There. That's better because, I don't know about you, but I didn't want to go blind," cracked Paige. Then she addressed her sister's concerns. "Piper, I'm sure Prue will still talk to Andy when she gets the chance but it certainly doesn't hurt to check this guy out right now," she asserted rather strongly. "And besides, the more we can find out ahead of time, the more prepared we'll be to deal with whatever is coming our way."

While testing the doorknob to make sure it was locked and no one could walk in on them, Piper sent her sister a look.

"Okay, Paige, you try and make that sound like a good thing. It's not." She made a face in typical Piper fashion.

Paige smirked and headed straight for the desk drawers. She squatted down and when she tried to open one on each side, she discovered she couldn't.

"Dammit. They're locked."

"Of course. What did you expect, a key sitting on his desk with an open invitation?" came Piper's witty sarcasm.

Paige smirked. "A girl can hope, can't she?"

"There may not be anything to find, remember that," Piper tried to point out. "He could just be another nosy Inspector snooping around, that's all. And, besides, the last thing we need is to draw anymore unwanted attention to ourselves. Attention, I might add, that usually winds up getting them killed or putting the spotlight on us. Let's try not to stir up any trouble if we don't have to. Didn't Andy say Richardson closed out the investigation into the club fire?"

"Uh, yeah, but he also described the guy as acting way too weird," Paige reminded her. "Like he already knew things and was fishing for more information? I would say that puts him pretty high on the list of things we need to be concerned about. Closing the case out could have just been a clever move on his part to take the attention off of himself."

"Well, look, weird is one thing. We've dealt with alot of weird in the past but it still doesn't make this Inspector a demon," Piper went over to the desk to try and assist her sister.

"Hey, it's not a stretch," Paige jumped in as both sisters went in search of a hidden key. "It wouldn't be the first time, right? Didn't you guys say that's how they got to you the first time around? Through Andy because one was posing as a cop? The Underworld seems to be pretty big on recycling the same attempts against our lives over and over again. They seriously need to come up with some new stuff already."

Deciding that they were wasting too much time and getting nowhere, Piper focused all her energy into tapping into Prue's power of telekinesis. "Alright, stand back, I got this," she instructed.

She waved her hand but nothing happened the first time.

"The demon who went after Andy was posing as an Internal Affairs Investigator," Piper shared. "But I have a feeling the Triad isn't going to waste their time setting us up with some cop when their objective is to get the ultimate power from us first. Rodriguez was trying to kill us."

She tried to do it a second time but still yielded no success.

"Yeah, and so will Gideon and the rest of the Triad. Look, Piper, Billie said that this Inspector thinks this Lana person, demon, whatever, is Christy. Maybe it's just me, but I don't find it to be just a coincidence that Lana happens to be a part of the Triad and now we have this Inspector looking for her. He's probably another demon working with them."

Piper tried a third time. "Damn, why isn't this working now? I give up. I can't move them open, you try," she addressed Paige. "And then we're out of here."

Paige attempted to do what Piper had failed to accomplish.

"Paige, isn't it possible that he's just an Inspector doing his job which is to track down a girl that went missing almost fifteen years ago? We may know that she's really dead but that doesn't mean they do."

"Okay, well then what about Agent Murphy?" Paige attempted to argue further. "He told us that this Inspector Richardson guy was calling up and playing twenty questions?"

"Fine, then let Agent Murphy look into it some more," Piper sighed. "It's the least he can do, since we're going to like, oh I don't know, owe him for the rest of our lives now."

Paige passed on a joke. "Ha. We can always just reach into our pockets and pull out our get out of Homeland Security free card."

"Yeah, that's funny. If we were playing monopoly, maybe. Forget it, sis, in this game were playing for lives not the paper money," Piper jested.

After a few trys, Paige was successful in using Prue's form of the power to fling the drawers out on each side. She threw Piper a very smug smirk of satisfaction which only earned her a roll of the eyes back in her direction. Piper couldn't help but smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, okay. Let's just get a move on before we get caught in the act," she threw out at the youngest sister.

Both Piper and Paige went searching inside of both drawers that were found on each side of the desk. As they each shuffled through the inside, Piper managed to discover what felt like two folders that were stacked together and stashed underneath a bunch of other stuff.

"Uh, Paige, I think I got something here," she announced to her sister.

Paige stopped moving. "What did you find?"

Piper pulled out the folders and placed them both on top of the desk. Paige pulled one over to her and then each sister took the initiative to open up one of the folders and examine the contents found within. Quickly, their eyes scanned the first pages.

"Uh, Piper, you're not going to believe this," Paige began as she finished reading over the information, turning to the second page.

Piper continued to read through the contents found in the folder she had in her possession and was dismayed to discover what she was piecing together in her head.

"Neither are you. Paige, listen to what this says. In the case of Inspector S ... " but as she began to read aloud, both sisters were suddenly alerted to the sound of the doorknob twisting back and forth. Quickly, both of them scrambled as fast as they could, flipping the folders closed. Paige shoved them back into the desk drawer.

"Hurry!" Piper hissed in a whisper.

"I am hurrying!" Paige gritted back through her teeth in her own low tone of voice.

After closing the drawers, Paige immediately grabbed onto Piper as both sisters orbed out of the office just in the nick of time. The door instantly swung open and in walked Inspector Richardson. He examined the room carefully, suspicion rooting deep inside of him. He hadn't remembered leaving the light on and he could have sworn he heard sounds coming from the other side of the door.

Suddenly, the Inspector took quick strides in the direction of his desk and checked the drawer found on the right side.

The drawer was unlocked.

**ooooo**

After Molly had settled down to sleep, Prue had made her way downstairs intent on waiting for Andy to return home from work. It was getting late but she really hoped to catch him alone so they could just talk a little. They hadn't really taken any time to work through their issues with everything that had been going down lately.

As Prue entered the conservatory, she was surprised to find that Phoebe was still there. She was sitting on the wicker bench, the Book of Shadows opened on the table in front of her. Clearly, she was flipping through the pages looking for something.

Prue smiled. "Hey you. You're still here," she greeted her sister.

Phoebe looked up and then smiled back in her sister's direction. Prue came to take a seat beside her.

"Yeah, I'm still here," Phoebe answered her big sister, her attention returning to the Book. "I take it every-things alright upstairs?"

"So far so good," Prue answered. "We've been checking on her in intervals. But you didn't have to stick around if that's what you were worried about? I think we pretty much got everything under control."

"No, it's not because of that," Phoebe sighed as she continued to flip through the pages. She remained reflective for a moment before turning the conversation in a new direction. "Have you heard from Billie at all? I know she was pretty upset when she stormed out of here earlier. We've certainly had plenty of that going on lately," she reflected wearily.

Prue sighed and glanced away from her. "Uh, no. She hasn't come back to the manor." She looked back at her sister.

"Ah, it's just as well. She'll probably just spend the night at her dorm. It'll give her some time to cool off," Phoebe figured. "And us."

"Yeah," Prue agreed with her. "And that's probably a good thing," she tried to joke. "Some how, I just don't think testing our powers out on each other is the smartest way to go about getting used to the Ultimate Power."

In many ways, Prue knew she was still trying to sort out the confusion when it came to her relationship with her newly discovered older daughter. Over the course of the past few months that she had gotten to know Billie, the relationship had taken on more of an acquaintance feel. Prue tended to view her just as some young witch who was learning about the craft, helped them out when needed, and as someone who looked to them for their guidance from time to time. It still felt strange thinking of herself as the girl's mother. However, every now and again, feelings that a mother would normally have did surface.

A few more moments of silence passed between the two sisters. Prue sat with her hands folded and her arms resting against her legs. She observed her sister quietly and as carefully as she could before breaking ground to find out what was really troubling her. And she had a pretty good hunch what it was.

"Well, whatever the problem is Pheebs, I have a pretty good feeling that the solution isn't going to be found in some new spell or potion," Prue offered gently. "Especially when it comes to matters of the heart." She sighed and then continued. "You know, I really am sorry that Coop ended up in the middle of all this."

Phoebe smirked, slightly amused on how her sister seemed capable of slipping right into the em-path role so easily.

"Yeah, Prue, so am I." She closed the Book of Shadows and pushed it away from her. "I guess a part of me was just hoping that maybe Billie could have been onto something, that's all. That there would have been some new spell or potion that could fix this whole mess."

Prue released a sympathetic smile. "Well, I hear you. If only all our problems could be solved that easily."

"It's all just so unfair, you know?" Phoebe began to vent, shaking her head. "After everything we've been through. Prue, after Cole, I really started to give up on ever finding anyone that could fill that place again. And now when I finally found the courage to open myself up to the possibility again, it can all come crashing down around me."

"Okay, but Phoebe, you don't know that for sure. Maybe you're not giving Coop enough credit?"

"No, Prue, yes I do," she quickly countered her sister's assessment over the situation. She looked her sister straight in the face as she continued. "And believe me, it's not that I don't appreciate what you're trying to do here, but Coop's past is definitely an issue for him. And, unfortunately, for us. I can't go down that road again, I won't. And if we have to vanquish her," she pointed out in reference to Lana, "I'm scared. That's the truth. Scared that it will definitely be over for us because I'll be forced to choose again."

A look of confusion spread across Prue's face. "Phoebe, who said anything about having to choose? If we have to vanquish Lana, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I'm sure Coop will come around in his own time."

"No, Prue, you don't get it." Phoebe glanced down towards the floor. "You weren't here the last time when I had to make a choice between Cole or Piper and Paige. It was either my sisters or the love of my life. And it nearly killed me to have to do it. And if Coop decides to choose Lana, I might be forced to choose you guys again. Over him." She released a deep breath. "I just don't think I can handle that kind of pain a second time around."

"Okay, first of all, Cole was a demon, Phoebe. He was battling something inside of himself all along that he couldn't overcome." Prue paused for a moment. "Coop's good. He loves you and as hard as it might be to watch, you may have to let him come to terms with the truth the same way you had to," she advised.

"Maybe," Phoebe relented. She cast her sister a sad smile.

Prue reached out to hug her sister.

"You know, it might just help if you went home and shared your fears with him," she suggested to Phoebe. "I mean, not that I mind lending out my services," she smiled, pulling back out of the hug. "After all, we both know how good at it I am," she teased.

This earned Prue another smile.

"Actually, believe it or not, I've missed you butting into my business," Phoebe admitted. "It's really great to have you back home."

"It's good to be home."

However, the conversation was interrupted as soon as orbs appeared inside of the conservatory. The orbs brought Piper and Paige face to face with their other two sisters. Upon seeing Prue and Phoebe, Piper immediately decided to cut to the chase and deliver the news.

"Okay, you guys, we got some bad news," she began.

"And then we got some more bad news," Paige followed up in sarcastic monotone. "Which do you want first?" she asked, placing her hands against her hips.

Prue and Phoebe looked to each other first.

"Uh, well, since it sounds that good, why don't you choose," Phoebe chided, momentarily closing her eyes and shaking her head back and forth. Then she brought her hand up to rest against her forehead.

"Where did you guys go?" Prue asked, a puzzled look settling across her face.

Piper and Paige both moved to take a seat in the two, white-wicker chairs found on opposite sides of the small, rectangular table.

"Well, we paid our Inspector friend a little visit," Paige informed them. "Or actually, more like his desk drawer. Don't worry, we didn't get caught, " she quickly moved to put Prue and Phoebe's fears to rest.

"Well, now, don't lie to them. We almost did," Piper cracked, smirking in the process.

"Well, almost doesn't count," Paige gestured with her hands and a smile.

Piper turned her attention towards Prue and Phoebe. "We can actually start with a bit of good news. Which is that I don't think we have to worry about him being a demon." Then, on a second thought, she decided to amend what she meant. "At least, not the kind we're use to vanquishing," she cracked.

Prue broke out with a smirk.

"But we did manage to get a quick look at some files that he's been stashing at the station," Paige picked up and continued on.

"Yeah, and it seems like he's either connected or interested in whatever happened with Inspector Sheridan," Piper relayed to them.

"What?!" Phoebe exclaimed. Piper had her full attention. "Not good!"

"No kidding. And since we don't have any idea what it is he's fishing for, I think we should think about asking Agent Murphy about it."

"What he's fishing for?" Phoebe repeated. "Um, I think it's pretty obvious what he's been fishing for. Us! And Inspector Sheridan died here, no wonder why he's all over us. And Agent Murphy is already suppose to be looking into it anyway."

"And I guess it kind of makes more sense now why he's been looking into Agent Murphy and our so-called "arrangement," Paige moved her fingers as a mock demonstration, in the air, to make her point. "Homeland Security probably covered all that information up after we faked our deaths that year."

Prue listened. She hadn't been around during the time they experienced problems with this Inspector Sheridan, who had apparently died here at the manor, but she still readily offered up her input anyway.

"But I think the more important question still stands. Which is why he's looking into what happened with Inspector Sheridan in the first place? What interest, if at all, does he have in her?"

"That would be one of the million dollar questions of the day," Paige shrugged. "But I'm still not completely sold on the idea that he's not a demon," she added. "Sorry Pipes," the use of her nickname followed.

"Eh, you're forgiven," she teased back.

"So why do you say that?" came Phoebe's more serious question, turning her attention to the youngest sister. "About him maybe being a demon?"

"Because of what I saw inside the other folder. And, unfortunately, it looks like it involves Coop," Paige divulged with regret, looking over at Phoebe. "Sorry."

Phoebe tensed and Prue looked to her sister and felt her do so.

"Just great," came Phoebe's reaction. "Let's have it. What did you find?"

"The investigation that you already told us about. When he was still living as Richard? He had an entire file in there about Coop and his dead sister. And references to a missing baby."

"Which according to Billie and you, Phoebe, would be Lana," Piper quipped. "My guess is that he must have been the investigating Inspector on the case at the time. Probably why he has the file on hand."

Phoebe felt anxious and bolted up from the bench.

"Wait, you're telling me he just so happens to be holding onto a case that's like twenty years old? I don't think so. Why does he have it on him after all this time? They arrested and convicted Coop all those years back. Shouldn't the case be closed out?"

"Well, that's why I'm still open to the idea that he's a demon," Paige reinforced. "He could have been involved from the very beginning. Maybe he helped Dumain and the Triad get their hands on Lana and he's the one who killed Coop's sister in order to do it?"

"And then set Coop up?" Prue added on. "I suppose it's possible."

"Yeah, maybe, but it still doesn't clear up what any of this has to do with Sheridan," Piper reminded all of them. "If he is a demon, what purpose does she serve in all this? Especially, since she's dead. And as far as we know, she's not connected in anyway to this Lana, Coop, or even the Triad.

"Right," Prue agreed. "But maybe there's just more to it we don't know yet."

"Of course. There always is. And I'm way too tired to be figuring out what that is tonight, so I'm off to bed," Piper announced, getting up from the chair. "All these problems will still be waiting for us tomorrow."

"I'm right behind you," Prue announced, yawning, as she got up ready to hit the pillow for some much needed rest. "Night you two. Don't stay up too late."

Paige smiled and waved them off. "Night."

Phoebe didn't move from the place she was still standing in, her arms crossed together. "Yeah, night," she told them in a distracted manner.

After Prue and Piper left the room, Paige continued to observe her remaining sister from her seated position. A big part of her really was hoping for her sister's sake that all of this wouldn't mean big trouble for her and Coop. Because it appeared as if that area of Phoebe's life was definitely becoming more and more complicated.

**ooooo **

JD orbed himself and Billie into a safe location on the college campus.

After materializing behind one of the many buildings found on the school grounds, Billie's grasp on JD only tightened even more. She didn't want him to let go but feared that at any moment he would pull back from her. Surprisingly, he didn't.

JD took a few deep breaths before asking the inevitable question. He could hear some of the light sobbing sounds.

"Billie, hey, what's wrong? Why are you so upset?" Gently, he pulled back and cupped his hands around the sides of her face.

With puffy eyes and a weary sigh, Billie looked up into the warm eyes of a young man she had come to consider a very close friend. However, in this moment, she had started to feel a little bit more. Without uttering any words, she moved her head and in one swift motion her lips found JD's.

JD's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected contact. However, as much as he liked the idea of them becoming more then just friends and was melting into the warm feel of her soft lips against his, he forced himself to pull away.

"Uh, Billie, wait a minute," he protested. He stepped further away, shaking his head out of the daze, and taking a moment to re-compose himself. "I really don't think that's the best idea under the circumstances."

Feeling the all too familiar sting of rejection, Billie became defensive. "What? Suddenly I'm not good enough anymore?"

"C'mon, Billie, you know that's not what I mean here," he defended himself. "It's just, you're not thinking straight right now and I think you know that. Don't do anything you're going to regret later."

"The only thing I'm regretting right about now is coming here with you," she retorted, as she made a move to walk around him and leave.

JD immediately grabbed for her arm, intent on preventing her departure. "Billie, please wait! Just tell me what's wrong," he pushed.

Billie stood face to face with him. "What's wrong?" came a voice carried with heavy emotion. "What isn't wrong!" she shot back rhetorically. "Everything in my life is just way beyond wrong. Starting with me, okay?"

JD reached out to pull her into another hug and she didn't resist. "Hey, it's okay," he tried to soothe, rubbing her back in a gentle pattern.

Billie backed out of the embrace as she tried to pull herself back together. She leaned herself back against the building and slid down the side until she was sitting down. JD made his move to join her, sitting on the ground next to her.

"I feel like such an idiot," she admitted, bringing her knees up against her chest. She closed her eyes, hands resting on her knees and her head leaning against the brick wall for support.

JD placed his hand over hers and smiled.

"You're not an idiot," he reassured her, patting the top of her hands and then pulling away. "But something is obviously bothering you so I'm all ears."

Billie turned to look at him. "They know," she opened up but in a solemn manner. "About Lana, I mean."

JD released a low whistle.

"Right." He nodded his head. "So then I take it things didn't go over to well, huh?" he sought the confirmation.

"Understatement. But it doesn't matter because they were right. I should have told them. It's not like I knew what I was doing," she mumbled, but JD heard the last part anyway.

"Billie, that's not true. You're totally gifted at what you do," he offered.

She gave him a small smile; however, still rolled her eyes in response to his obvious attempts at trying to lift her spirits up.

"No, I mean it," he pushed. "Look, you're the only chic that I've ever known who can kick some real butt and still look totally hot while doing it. Your powers are so incredibly cool." His voice softened a bit. "But more importantly, you've got a big heart. Even when you do mess up," he laughed a little bit.

Billie laughed with him. "Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "Stop while you still can, or you're going to give me a superiority complex," she joked with him.

"Hey, I'm not saying anything that isn't true. You're willing to give people the benefit of the doubt, Billie. And that's important. Because sometimes people need that second chance in order to be saved. Just look at me," he pointed out as an example.

"JD, that's hardly the same thing. You were an innocent, a demon came after you because you were destined to become something good," she argued back. "It was never a question about whether or not you should be given a second chance. You were suppose to be saved and that's why Sam never gave up on you."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I didn't give Sam a hard time while he was trying to look out for me. Before the demon got me. Billie, my whole mortal life, I was seen as this rebel. By my family, my friends, and even at school. But the point here, I'm trying to make, is that nobody thought I could be saved. But they were wrong."

Billie tore her gaze away from him and shifted it to the grass sprawled out in front of them.

"But what if Lana can't be saved?" she asked. "And I just feel like I'm never going to be good enough. Just thinking about what happened to my parents is a constant reminder of that. What I am and the life I have now is what got them killed to begin with."

Affectionately, JD reached his hand out underneath her chin and gently turned her face back around to meet with his.

"I think you're being way too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes but it doesn't mean that we're responsible for everything bad that happens to us. Besides, it's only because of me that you agreed to help keep Lana a secret in the first place." He took a deep breath. "Which is why if you need me to set things straight with your family, then I will," he offered.

Billie smiled. "Thanks, JD, that's sweet but totally unnecessary. But I am a big girl. So I can take responsibility for my own actions. Besides, it's not like you forced me to go along with it anyway. And you've done more than enough just sitting here listening to me rant."

She smiled.

"Hey. What are friends for, right?" he teased.

Both of them smiled but the energy in the air had changed quickly as the smiles slowly faded and they each stared intently at the other. The spark in the air signaled that things were definitely on their way to surpassing mere friendship but the moment passed as JD and Billie both broke it, feigning coughs and averting their stares.

"Well, it is getting late," JD remarked uneasily, getting himself off the ground. "I'll walk you back to your dorm room."

Billie moved to lift herself from the ground. "Uh, I know I planned on spending the night in my dorm room, sulking and all," she stressed while making a face and brushing her pants free from any dirt. "But would you mind taking me back to the manor instead?" She smiled at him. "I think I might have some better luck finding a second chance there."

JD smiled back at her. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Thanks," Billie offered with sincerity. "I mean for everything."

"Ah. No biggie," he tried to shake it off modestly, while straightening his collar. Then, his voice turned playful. "By the way, has anyone ever told you what a great kisser you are?"

This earned JD a glare. Her eyes widened and he was rewarded with a playful swat as he started laughing, lifting his arms up to shield himself and give up in mock surrender. Then their hands found each other as both of them disappeared amongst JD's whitelighter orbs.

**ooooo**

The Inspector rifled through his desk until his hands landed upon what he sought to find. The two folders. They were still here. But he knew the drawer had been locked. Suddenly, he was alerted to the sound of another.

"I take it things are moving along as they should be," the dark voice announced from behind.

Richardson spun around in his chair, completely startled. He began looking around the room, trying to figure out how the other man had virtually appeared out of nowhere.

"How did you do that?" the Inspector demanded to know. He stood up from his seat.

The dark figure sneered. "I have my secrets. None of which are of any concern to you. Where is the girl? Have you had any more luck in getting closer to her through that cop partner of yours or his daughter?"

Richardson swallowed nervously. He had managed to uncover Billie's connection to the Halliwells and apparently the man standing before him had also known all along. However, Richardson made sure Inspector Trudeau wasn't aware of that fact. Even though he liked to engage in mind games and needle him with subtle hints on occasion.

"Um, not exactly. I thought you already had that under control. Didn't you find where she was? And how is this Christy of any interest to you anyway?" Richardson couldn't help but ask what had been on his mind from the beginning. "And what does any of it have to do with the Richard and Jenna Devlon case I handled over twenty years back? You're the one that insisted I have that file pulled. Why?"

"The girl hasn't been around. And she's of interest to me because she's of interest to me. Plain and simple. And your job isn't to ask questions here, it's simply to do what you've been told to do," the figure calling himself Richard shot at the Inspector now standing before him.

Richardson narrowed his eyes in at the other man. "So then it was you in my office before I came in?" he accused.

"Please," he snidely mocked what he considered the inferior little Inspector before him. "If I want to make my appearance known, then it will be made known. I don't need to hide myself away in offices like these or remain undetected by the likes of you." He gave the small office a glance over with a look of distaste.

The two men became engaged in a staring match until the figure finally spoke again.

"Just remember. If I don't get the girl, you don't get your revenge."

Those were the other man's final words on the matter before deciding to depart. Richardson watched in awe as the figure shimmered out and completely disappeared. How was he able to do that?

**ooooo **

Prue tossed back and forth in the bed, unable to get much sleep. As she tossed back onto her right side, she reached out only to discover that the other side of the bed was still empty. Molly was still wedged in the middle but Andy still wasn't home yet.

Prue lifted herself up, careful not to wake her sleeping daughter, and read the time on the small alarm clock. It was already after midnight so were in the world was he? After finding out some of the information that was dug up on Inspector Richardson, Andy's absence only played on her worries even more. Inspector Richardson was Andy's partner which could lead to a whole lot of trouble if they weren't especially careful. She got out of bed and headed downstairs.

As she came down the remaining stairs and into the foyer, she was greeted by the sound of the front door opening up. Anticipating Andy, she was surprised to find that instead it was Billie making her way back inside. Billie was just as surprised to be running into Prue as she walked into the manor.

"Oh?!" Billie exclaimed. She brought her voice down lower. She swallowed, feeling uncomfortable, bringing all eye contact down to the floor. "Hey."

"Hey," came Prue's response. Prue approached a little bit, her arms crossed together. "So," she began. "I take it either the sleeping arrangements on a bed at the dorm are less than ideal or you just really missed us," she teased, trying to break through the impasse.

The curves of Billie's lips moved slightly upward. It almost passed for a small smile but some of the tension could still be felt in the air.

"Billie, listen. It's pretty obvious that you're just as frustrated with us as we are with you right now. But it's only because we're concerned. I know I wasn't here when everything went down between you and my sisters but I do remember them well enough to know that they wouldn't get that upset without good reason."

"Um, yeah, it's late. Do you think maybe we can just talk about it all tomorrow?" Billie went to move past Prue.

Prue closed her eyes and shook her head slightly, her back facing Billie as she began walking up the stairs. "Sure," came her one-worded reply.

"They may not believe me but I am sorry," Billie's voice broke. "I was only trying to help." Her voice softened a bit as Prue turned around to face her. "I am sorry," this time the apology being directed at Prue. "Next time I'll definitely come to you guys with any thing that's important," she offered.

"Okay," Prue accepted with a nod of her head. And she left it at that. Billie visibly relaxed and smiled back in her direction before continuing on her journey upstairs. Prue smiled back as some of that uneasiness departed from the atmosphere. "Goodnight."

"Night," Billie's voice traveled back.

Prue continued her walk back through the dining room and into the conservatory. She felt restless and knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. And then something caught her attention. Through the double-glass doors leading out of the conservatory into the very small courtyard, she saw a figure. He was seated on one of the lawn chairs.

Opening the doors, she walked outside and past a couple flower beds.

"When did you get home?" her voice carried, breaking him out of his contemplative state. She sat down next to him on one of the other chairs.

Andy had glanced up when Prue moved towards him and then averted his gaze back down at the ground as she took a seat beside him. When he didn't respond to her question right away, Prue pushed some more.

"Is everything alright?"

"You tell me," he answered a bit distantly. "I mean, you're suppose to be the big expert on all this right? Magic and demons and witchcraft. I'm just still trying to figure out how it is I fit into all of this. Where my place is."

Feeling guilty, Prue took in a deep breath of the fresh night air. They really had been doing a good job of repressing everything and avoiding the whole issue surrounding their relationship. Because it was easier to pretend like things could just go back to being normal again on their own.

"Well, I hope it's here with me," she answered him. "Look, Andy, if this has anything to do with finding out about Billie, I really am sorry. You have to believe me, it's just that I feel so lost not being able to remember any of it. Except recollecting on some smaller level that I really wanted you to know." She was thinking about her dreams.

Andy cut in, shaking his head back and forth in the process. "Prue, it's more than just that. I mean there is the secrets and everything but the more I think about it, it's just the whole lifestyle in general. And then having to come home and deal with it every single day? It's just ..." his sentence drifted off.

"Just what?" she pushed. "Andy, what are you saying? That you don't want to be with me because I'm a witch again?"

The beating of her heart started to pick up and go faster.

Andy sighed, feeling some of his own guilt pass through him. "Prue, I don't know what I'm saying, okay? I've just been doing alot of thinking about things lately. The truth about Billie I can get over. Richardson, I can handle. But a life where I have to come home to watch you risk your life day after day? I don't think I could every really handle having to see you die. What if that happens, huh?"

"It won't."

"What does that mean for Molly? Or for the new baby if you're gone?"

"It won't happen." She squeezed her eyes tightly becoming upset at the turn of the conversation.

"You don't know that for sure!" he countered.

"Andy, you're a cop. You face the same risks everyday," she shot back. "Do you want me to offer you guarantees that I can't keep?" Her eyes watered. "In case you've forgotton, I did live to see you die." She resisted the urge to tell him it happened against her better judgment when he decided to show up at the manor anyway.

"I know," Andy admitted in a softer tone of voice. "And it's not that I'm not grateful for this second chance at life but what will it cost us this time?"

"Andy, I love you," Prue asserted strongly, not wanting to dwell on all the possible consequences that could become a factor in their future. Unknown events that would shape their future and relationship but more importantly, events out of their control.

"I love you too, Prue. But sometimes even love just isn't enough." His tone came across sounding a bit sad and defeated.

Prue sighed heavily. The emotions running through her at this moment were all jumbled together. One thing she knew for sure was that she felt her heart constricting with the words spoken by him.

"I never meant to get you involved with all this again," she started to apologize; however, sensing where she was going, Andy jumped in quickly and beat her to the finish.

"I'm not blaming you for what Gideon and the other Elders did," he sought to clarify for her. "And I don't even regret being able to spend these last five years with you. I remember what I told you before I died. About wanting a normal family life to come home to. Actually, for the most part, most of those years gave me that. I got to experience what it would be like having a normal life with you."

"But, Andy, you know it can never go back to that," she delivered the truth with a mixture of sadness and regret.

"I know. And that's why I need some time."

He got himself up from the lawn chair and headed back in the direction of the house.

"Where are you going?" she asked, fearful about what exactly those words meant. Did his words mean he would be leaving the manor until he sorted out his feelings?

He turned back around to face her. "To bed. I'll just take the couch for tonight. See you in the morning," he answered, turning back around.

Prue was left by herself as she stared up at the dark sky and its array of stars. All her thoughts were focused on how things would work out. For herself, her children, with her sisters, and most of all with Andy.

**ooooo**

Piper awoke to the sounds of scratching and shuffling overhead. Her immediate thoughts turned to the captive upstairs. Lana. Quickly turning her head to the side, she noted that Leo was fast asleep and hadn't been awoken by the disturbing sounds.

Throwing off her covers, she got herself out of bed and exited the room. She headed in the direction of the attic and began walking up the stairs leading to the closed door. As she entered the attic, she was greeted by a very troublesome sight. Her eyes went straight to the center of the attic where there should have been a demon. But there wasn't. Lana was gone. The crystals lie on the floor, some how deactivated.

"Uh-oh. Prue? Leo?" she shouted, hoping that someone would hear her. She headed back in the direction of the attic door.

However, out of nowhere, she suddenly felt the intense sting of something hitting her back. Spinning around, she came face to face with a sneering darklighter. His crossbow was in hand and he had fired an arrow into her. Without saying a word, Piper tried reaching behind her back but began to grow faint. She fumbled and finally passed out, hitting the floor.

The darklighter released an evil laugh. Before he disappeared within his traditional dark orbs.

"Too easy," he chided with a sneer set in place.

* * *

**To Be Continued: **Alright. That's the end of the next chapter. So I hope that got you interested again. Please don't forget to review, it's helps to let me know that people out there still want to read this. Especially since I've been away for awhile.

**Stay Tuned: **I'll try to get another chapter out as soon as I can.** :o) **


	36. Enchanted Doll

**A big thanks to my reviewers from the last chapter:**

**AlyssaP3, Princess-charmed100, PrUe AnD AnDy , du1387, and Love Angel 1705. It's good to know that you're still out there and interested. :o)**

**AlyssaP3: Yup, Piper is pregnant and the baby was conceived at the time Leo had his powers, the ones given back to him as an Elder to run the magic school. And I really hope that the movie was good, I still want to see it, lol.**

**And now onto a new chapter:**

* * *

**Chapter 35: Enchanted Doll**

She heard it.

Walking back into the conservatory, Prue had heard what sounded like Piper's yell in the distance. Andy, who was heading in the direction of the living room, turned around to share a knowing look with her. He had heard it too. Something was wrong upstairs.

The insulation wasn't very good, causing all sound to travel throughout the manor. However, because of the type of lifestyle they lead and with their lives constantly hanging on the line, poor insulation actually turned out to be a good thing. With the looming threat of demon attacks on a daily basis, there was never a definite way of knowing when one of them could run into trouble inside of their own home.

After their quick ascent up the winding staircase, Prue and Andy ran into Leo in the hall. He had also been alerted to the call and came rushing out of the bedroom. After looking at them briefly, he joined the two of them, all three making their way up into the attic. The sight that greeted them was a shock.

"Oh my god," Prue cried, rushing inside and kneeling at her sister's side almost immediately.

"Piper?!" Leo exclaimed, seeing her lying on the floor.

He came to his wife's side just as quickly as Prue. Andy stood in the background, concerned but feeling unsure of how he could help in the situation.

"Piper?" Prue called out to her. "Sweetie, wake up!" she pleaded, noticing that her sister appeared to be unconscious. However, she got no response back from her.

"What happened?" Leo cried. But the answer became apparent to them when they all saw the arrow sticking out from her back.

Prue turned to look at the center of the attic. Lana was gone. The crystals were spread across the floor and she had somehow managed to escape her place of imprisonment. Which meant that the darklighter who shot her sister, most likely the same one that had shot her not too long ago, had probably been the one to set her free.

"A darklighter," Leo stated, feeling helpless. "Prue? You're going to have to try and heal her," he looked directly across from her, his face a mask of desperation. "I don't have my powers to do it. Which means I can't call for help either."

Prue stared back at him incredulously.

"Heal her? Leo, I don't know how to or I else would, believe me," she argued. She saw the desperation he was feeling and felt even worse about how powerless she felt.

"Prue, I thought this new power let you guys tap into each other's powers," he retorted. "Paige can heal, which means you should be able to."

"We don't know how to control it like that yet," Prue shot back. "Look, we need to get Paige." She attempted to get up from the floor; however, Leo immediately reached out to grab her wrist, stopping her.

"There's no time for that," he argued back with urgency. "I can't orb to get her and if what you're telling me is true, then it sounds like you can't control doing that either. Try calling for Sam," he suggested out of the blue.

"What?" Prue exclaimed, confusion spreading across her facial features. "Why?"

"Call for Sam," he instructed again. "He's a whitelighter. And your real father, isn't he? There should be a connection there. Try and tap into it, Paige was able to do it before."

"Leo, I don't even have the powers of a whitelighter," she pointed out for him, gesturing with her hands right in front of her. "How is Sam even suppose to hear me?"

Leo discovered the truth about that particular revelation from Piper. Andy, standing with his arms crossed, listened to Leo's open admission and then shot a confused, questioning look in Prue's direction. She glanced back at him, catching his reaction to the news. It was something she really hadn't opened up about yet and knew what was probably coming.

"Some more secrets, huh?" Andy threw out at her.

Prue closed her eyes, feeling frustration. "Andy, not now, please."

"You're right," he retorted, looking his wife in the eyes. "Our concern should be for Piper, so why don't you stop arguing against every one of Leo's suggestions and just try doing it." He knew that could have just as easily been Prue lying on the floor. Like the last time when he wasn't here.

Prue could tell he was upset. Probably over the whole incident.

"Or you can try calling out for Paige. You may not have the active powers of a whitelighter, but the connection is innately there," Leo encouraged. "One of them should be able to sense you. Just hurry up and try to do it. We may not have much time."

His attention fell back on Piper, still unconscious but barely breathing.

Prue took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then focused all her energy into calling out for either Sam or Paige with her mind. Both Andy and Leo watched from the sidelines, in nervous anticipation, when suddenly she felt it. A type of tingling connection sprang to life. And after a few more moments of hardened concentration, lights suddenly materialized inside of the attic, bringing three surprised faces into view.

"Dad?" Paige called out, shocked to be running into Sam, as she turned to see him standing next to her. She had orbed into the attic along with Phoebe, who was also standing beside her. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard a call for help," he admitted honestly. "I thought maybe it was you."

"No, it was me!"

The three stunned faces looked straight ahead of them, turning in the direction of the voice making that announcement. They saw Prue standing up, coming towards them, and then all eyes shot to the figure lying on the floor.

"And we don't have time to waste because Piper is hurt. She needs one of you to heal her," Prue announced getting straight to point.

"Oh my god, Piper!" exclaimed Phoebe, immediately sprinting in the direction of her injured sister.

Both Sam and Paige followed in her footsteps, Paige glancing over to where Lana should have been surrounded by the crystals. Sam and Paige knelt beside Piper. The arrow was removed and each one of them extended their hands over her. Everyone stood back and watched as the healing light appeared and did its work. A few seconds later, Piper regained full consciousness and began coughing. Leo was back at her side, assisting her in sitting up.

"Thank god," came his relief. He turned to Prue. "Knew you could do it," he smiled in her direction.

"Ow, my head," Piper reached out, placing her hand behind her. Her head had hit the floor after falling down. "What happened?" She fought to regain awareness, while standing up on her feet.

"Well, that's what we'd like to know?" Paige retorted. She stood up and placed her hands against her hips. "One minute I was trying to sleep and the next thing I know I'm feeling this overwhelming sense of panic when Phoebe calls to tell me she's feeling the same thing. So I orbed over to get her and then as if that wasn't bad enough, I felt a pretty strong call hit me for help on our way over here. Figured it had something to do with you guys."

Paige turned to look once again in the direction of the empty space no longer occupied by Lana.

"Looks like I was right."

"Looks like your new power is growing," Leo commented. "I mean, if the both of you felt the empathic connection to each other before Prue even called out for help?"

"Hm," Phoebe reflected, looking at her oldest sister. "Tapping into the whitelighter part of our-self, are we?" she teased.

Prue closed her eyes, shaking her head in denial. "Uh, no. Not exactly," she negated. "I think it just had to do with our new power. It had nothing to do with being a whitelighter!"

Sam glanced in her direction as did the others. Leo took on a serious look before responding.

"Prue, of course it did," he jumped in against Prue's denial. "It was bound to happen eventually, especially now that you're fully aware of it."

"Ah, no worries about the denial. It's familiar territory for Paige. I'm sure when you're ready, she can help you through it," Piper spoke up volunteering Paige's services. "And the sooner the better since it effects all of us now. As we can clearly see," came the reasoning, in direct reference to what had just happened to her.

"Okay, fine," Prue tried her best to blow it off. "Let's just leave it alone for another time. We have other things to worry about right now. It's just a good thing you guys knew something was wrong and then you came when you did," she turned the conversation away from herself.

"Smooth, Prue." Paige rolled her eyes around playfully, noting how her sister had cleverly maneuvered the discussion away from her with a little bit of logic.

Prue tried to ignore the passing comment but couldn't resist shooting her a look.

"Yeah. And not a second too soon," Phoebe commented on their convenient arrival. She turned to notice that Lana was missing as well. "Guys, what happened here?" she immediately inquired, complete concern shining through her voice. "Where's Lana?"

"Yeah, what exactly did happen?" Paige repeated the question.

"What does it look like?" Piper snapped in good humor. "I was shot. That's the last time I use my attic as a substitute for a jailhouse."

Phoebe smiled. "No," she sighed. "We know that. We mean what happened before you got shot?"

"I don't know," Piper answered, straightening herself out. "I was trying to sleep. And then I heard some noises from downstairs but she was already gone before I got up here," she gestured with a wave of her hand towards the empty spot a few feet away from them.

"Which means the darklighter had to be the one that definitely freed her. He got around the crystals somehow, but how?" Prue interjected. She stood with her arms folded. "And more importantly, why did he wait around if he got what he came for?"

The sisters shared a look before they heard the loud yell coming from the second floor.

_HEY! _

It definitely sounded like Billie. It took all four of them about one second to reach the same conclusion.

"The kids!" came their simultaneous declarations.

Everyone ran to exit the attic as they descended the stairs in the direction of the bedrooms.

**ooooo**

The darklighter's orbs reappeared inside of a bedroom found in the manor.

After looking around, he realized his plan to distract the others had worked. Sleeping in the bed, just a few inches away from him, was one of the children. The little girl that the Triad managed to get their hands on before. Shooting the former oldest Charmed One definitely placed all of the remaining family members concentration on saving her life. Which meant he was now free to move forward with his plan to snatch up the children. His steps towards the sleeping child brought him even closer to that goal.

The darklighter didn't see the small clutter in front of the bed. As a result, he almost tripped over the pile but he caught his balance on the bed post. However, he cursed silently at his carelessness because he had managed to make some noise in the process. Fortunately, it wasn't enough to wake the child but whoever was passing by had heard it. A voice traveled through the door, seeking out the child.

_"Molly? Are you awake?"_

What if the person walked in on what it was he was about to do?

Instantly, the darklighter knew he would have to alter his plan. He hadn't gotten close enough to the child yet with the stones to ensure protection against the use of any powers she might hold. He thought fast. Instead, eyeing the doll that lie beside her, he orbed it out of her grasp and into his waiting hand.

He moved towards the door and when he opened it the person waiting on the other side received the shock of their life.

**ooooo **

Billie was almost positive she heard a shout.

After coming back home, she had felt so exhausted that she just let her head hit the pillow. Within a few moments, her consciousness had drifted onto the edges of a deep sleep. However, it was short-lived when a loud call startled her out of it. She then waited a few moments and thought she heard the others passing by in the hall.

Billie had gotten out of bed and then exited her bedroom. Turning down the hall, her steps continued to take her in the direction of the attic when she suddenly stopped. She had just passed by Prue's bedroom but thought she heard something inside. Quickly, Billie jumped to the conclusion that Molly might have been awakened and was roaming around inside. Tip-toeing back, she silently placed her ear up against the door to listen.

"Molly? Are you awake?" she called out gently but loud enough to be heard.

However, she suddenly received the shock of her life when the door bolted open and revealed who had been the cause of the disturbance.

"You!" Billie exclaimed in an accusatory manner.

She recognized him immediately. It was the same darklighter who had taken her and delivered her to Gideon and the rest of the Triad. The same one who had tried to lure JD and was tracking down Lana. Was he back for her? Glancing quickly over his shoulder, she took in Molly's sleeping form. However, it wasn't about to stay that way for long as things were about to get much louder. She began taking steps backwards.

"Yup. Me!" the darklighter sneered back, advancing on her.

"Stay back! Or I'll ..." but she became distracted and didn't finish the sentence.

Casting her gaze downwards, she took notice of what he was doing with one of his hands. It appeared like he was trying to hide something behind his back. What was he hiding? However, she didn't have much time to contemplate it as the darklighter summoned his crossbow with his remaining, free hand. He pointed it directly at her.

"'Or you'll what?" he mocked her, an evil laugh following his words.

"I'll scream."

"Go ahead. I dare you."

She kept eye contact with him, preparing to use her powers to thwart his attack. Suddenly, she was completely taken aback when he quickly changed target and turned to point the crossbow in Molly's direction. Her sleeping form was starting to stir from all the commotion occurring in the hallway right in front of the bedroom door.

"HEY!" Billie's loud yell came out, waving her hand and sending both him and the crossbow flying backwards into the bedroom. A dresser in the background broke his fall; however, completely startled Molly out of her sleeping state. The little girl jumped up.

"Mommy!" she cried out upon seeing the dark figure in the room with her.

The darklighter glanced between the startled child and Billie, who was advancing on him inside the room. He quickly orbed out. Billie stared at the floor and then quickly turned her attention to her little sister, sitting upright in the bed.

"It's alright Molly. The bad man is gone, okay?" she tried reassuring the small child as she took a seat beside her on the bed. Suddenly, Billie was alerted to the sound of footsteps rounding the corner and into the bedroom.

"Will he come back?" the little girl asked just as Prue entered the bedroom first, followed closely by Piper and then Phoebe and Paige.

Billie didn't get the chance to answer as she was alerted to Prue making quick strides in the direction of the bed, glancing between them and the broken pieces of furniture found on the floor. She grabbed for Molly out of the bed and held on tightly. The mere idea that her daughter could be abducted again petrified her.

"What happened?" Prue asked in a panic.

"You two okay?" Paige immediately inquired, feeling a little bit out of breath.

"We heard a shout," Phoebe backed up her sister's question with concern of her own.

"Everything's okay, he's gone," Billie tried to calm everyone in the room. "We're fine."

"The darklighter?" Paige pushed for confirmation and Billie nodded.

The men had been behind the women and Andy suddenly rounded the corner with Leo following behind him. In his own state of panic, Andy rushed straight over to Prue, who was standing next to the bed holding Molly close.

"Is she alright?" he asked reaching out for her and hugging her close.

While Prue and Andy were attending to Molly, Piper went over to flick the light switch on and then walked back over in the direction of the debris spread in a pile on the rugged floor. She remained the quietest. Glancing around the room, she stood still in one position with her hands at her sides, remaining completely vigilant for any signs of the darklighter or Lana.

"I'm going to go check on Wyatt and Chris," she broke her silence, suddenly craving the confirmation of her own children's safety. "I'll be back." She made her move to exit Prue's bedroom with Leo following.

"I'm coming with you," he announced.

Sam had remained in the background and watched them go along with everyone else. He glanced over at Prue and her family briefly before breaking in with the what seemed pretty obvious to everyone left in the room.

"That darklighter is still on the loose?" he looked between the two who were his daughters and Phoebe. "It's been kind of quiet on the whitelighter front. We haven't been having as many attacks by the one that was luring us in."

"Well that's probably because the darklighter's focus shifted onto us," Paige informed her father. "He's been working with the Triad to get to us. And obviously, the kids too."

Sam stood with his arms crossed.

"Sorry to hear that." His voice was laced with genuine concern. "Just be careful. All of you," he offered, looking between Paige and Phoebe. Then his attention turned back in Prue's direction. He observed Molly for a moment and then smiled. "And I'm glad that she's safe," he offered.

Prue offered an awkward smile. "Thanks."

"And I really wish there was more I could do to help but I really need to be going," Sam quickly changed the focus to his impending departure. "Of course, don't hesitate to call if you do need me again. For anything." He looked pointedly between Paige and Prue.

The small group watched as Sam was the next to depart from the scene, inside of his blue and white orbs.

**ooooo **

The darkighter orbed back inside of an Underworld lair inhabited by other darklighters.

"Dammit!" he cursed out loud.

This drew the attention of all the other darklighters inside of the cave dwelling. Feeling the mounting frustration of such incredibly bad timing, he took his quick strides through the crowd of other darklighters. They either attempted to move out of his way or observed him from a safe distance. The child's doll swung back and forth in his hand. He should have at least had the little girl but now he would have to alter how he planned on getting his task done.

"Crate?!" he hollered for the fair-haired darklighter that usually accompanied him on his many missions in the past. Including the one to take out the whitelighter JD months ago. However, this mission had been an exception. "I need your assistance."

Crate turned to address his superior counterpart with a touch of fear mixed in.

"Why?" he dared to ask him. "What for?" His eyes narrowed.

In a rough manner, the agitated darklighter grabbed Crate by his black collar, pulling him within inches of his own face. "You dare to ask me why?" he gritted through clenched teeth. "I said I need your help and you're going to give it to me. That's what for!" he spat.

A third darklighter stood close by in the distance, supervising the work of the other ones. While keeping a close watch on all the work being done, he listened in on the words spoken by the darklighter who had suddenly made his appearance again. His eyes also narrowed. It was because he was well aware of the other darklighter's dealings with the Triad, as were most darklighters by now, something that had been going down for months. Most of them chose to stay clear of him because of the unnatural power boost he had received for being in league with a Triad member. The rumors about the Triad being in possession of the Vicarian Stones were also well known. But to the supervising darklighter in charge, the other darklighter's loyalties had been called into serious question. This other darklighter had gone vigilante and not only that. His loyalties had also shifted to the Triad.

"Well, well, well," the supervising darklighter decided to interrupt. He walked over to the two darklighters, his hands behind his back. "Jarad," he addressed the darklighter by his formal name. "So to what do we owe this honor?" he mocked him openly.

"Stay out of this, Dalihel," he warned the supervising darklighter. "I'm here on business."

"Ah. Yes," he continued to mock Jarad. "Now would that be official Triad business?" He paused momentarily, his features growing even darker. "There's just one problem. And that's that I don't see the Triad anywhere around here. Do you?"

The darklighter, named Jarad, seethed at his former comrade's persistent mocking of him. Because he came here for assistance and he wasn't leaving until he got it.

"Look," he sneered. "I need a place to bring the next generation back to. Just until I can secure their release over to the Triad."

"Well then I suggest you take that business elsewhere," Dalihel ordered. "Our only business right now is in bringing down the whitelighters that we need to so they don't stand in our way. Whitelighters, Jarad, you do remember those don't you?" he mocked a third time, placing his hand underneath his chin and feigning contemplation. "Or has working with the ranks of the Triad gone to your head and our kind and work isn't good enough for you anymore!"

"The next generation?" the fair-haired darklighter, called Crate, questioned, looking between the other two. "Do you mean the children of the Charmed Ones? I thought you were suppose to handle that by killing and taking on that whitelighter's image. JD?!"

"Change of plans," Jarad threw back at Crate. "Look, it's just temporary," he shifted back at Dalihel. "And then I'll be out of your way in no time."

"We don't need the Charmed Ones coming after us!" Dahilel hollered. "And they will if their magical offspring can be traced back to here. The answer is no! Let the Triad be the ones to deal with them and the Ultimate Power."

By this point, they had drawn the attention of most of the other darklighters who had stopped working, listened, and observed the growing conflict around them.

"Yes, and when they finally have it," Jarad took the opportunity to point out about the Ultimate Power, "You'll be punished for your insubordination. All of you," he then turned to address all the darklighters as a whole. His shot his glare back at the supervisor. "Now you can either help me secure our place in the Underworld when that time comes or you can stand here and argue with me about the finer points of what it means to be a darklighter."

He reached for the inside of his dark suit and pulled out the Vicarian Stones handed to him by Gideon in order to complete his mission. He slammed them down onto the large working station for them all to get a good look at.

"There!" Jarad announced, letting them all know he meant business. "Besides, if the rumors are true about the oldest Charmed One, all of their existing offspring already pose a threat as possible future whitelighters."

Crate's eyes widened in disbelief. "Whoa. Are those what I think they are, Jarad?"

"Indeed they are."

Jarad sneered again, waiting for the supervisor's reaction. The darklighter, Dahilel, opted to keep his cool, remaining in place with his hands still behind his back. His eyes darted between the stones set out before him and then back to making eye contact with Jarad.

"Which is it going to be?" Jarad pushed, refusing to back down.

Dahilel finally decided to give in.

"What did you have in mind?" he relented, still less than thrilled with the prospect of making themselves the targets of the Charmed Ones.

"This!" Jarad declared, flashing the doll in full view of everyone.

Using some magical assistance from the stones, he created an opening inside the doll. A red, sparkly tinge had appeared, magically pulling the plastic apart. He placed one of the stones inside and then when he was finished the hole magically sealed itself closed.

"We need some type of caged contraption to hold them in. We'll put one other stone inside of the cage to draw them into it," Jarad instructed. "And with the right amount of dark magic, we'll use the doll to create a portal opening to lead them back here."

"Very well. We'll prepare that from our end," Dahilel remarked, grabbing for one of the remaining stones. "But do hurry. My patience is not my strong suit," he warned.

Jarad merely sneered, grabbed for the last Vicarian Stone on the work station, and then orbed himself out with the doll in his possession.

Dahilel turned back around to face the others.

"Well, what are you all staring at? Get back to work!"

**ooooo **

It was the early hours of the morning and all the sisters had met up in the kitchen to discuss the events from the night before and the impending show down with the Triad. Their other area of concern was what they should do now that Lana was back in the Underworld and with the rest of the Triad members. Suddenly, they were interrupted by the appearance of Molly who came running inside the kitchen, almost frantic.

"Mommy? Mommy?" the little girl's voice traveled to everyone sitting at the table. "I can't find Emma."

A small pout was set firmly in place and she began pulling roughly on her mother's arm.

"Molly," Prue protested. "Stop it."

"Help me find her, mommy, please," her voice pleaded as she began jumping up and down on the kitchen floor. "She's lost."

"I'll help you find her afterwards, but right now you're being rude," Prue scolded her daughter. "We were in the middle of having a grown-up talk and you interrupted something that's very important."

"Emma?" Paige questioned, taking a sip from her coffee. "Who's Emma?"

Molly tilted her head at Paige, her pout still displayed across her small lips.

"My dolly," the child explained, drawing out the word dolly in a very dramatic way.

"And our newest bed-time member," Prue rolled her eyes in a playful manner at the sudden attachment to the new doll. However, she made sure Molly didn't see. "And I think it's time for Emma to go back to sleeping with her friends," she teased gently, making reference to the other dolls and toys Molly had begun to acquire.

"But she gets lonely," the little girl protested. "And she likes the big bed."

"Oh," Paige acknowledged, eyes widened, and nodding her head to play along. "I see."

"She went to sleep with me and now she gone."

The logical conclusion seemed to be that maybe the doll fell off the bed. She placed her cup back down on the table and then leaned over so that her face was almost aligned with her niece's. She brought her voice down to a low whisper.

"Well, maybe she's just playing hide and seek with ya'?" she suggested in a teasing manner. "Did you check under the bed?"

Molly responded by shaking her head back and forth in protest. "No!" she wailed in an over-exaggerated fashion. "I already look there."

"Oh. Okay. Well, then I give up. Sorry kiddo," she teased again, bringing herself back up to face her sisters. She made a face which only added to the amusement felt by her other sisters. "Hey. I tried," she threw at them. "One of you try to do better."

Piper looked between her sisters.

"Yeah, well, I think I smell a Wyatt," she cracked. She was more than aware that the two of them had been sparring over toys lately and she just assumed it was possible that Wyatt had gotten his hands on the doll somehow. And then hid it on purpose.

"Here," Phoebe got up from her seat. She picked up her coffee cup and carried it with her. "What do you say that you and I go and check underneath that bed again," she covered over in a saccharine voice. "Okay, little missy? I'm sure she's still waiting there for you and me."

She reached out her hand which Molly accepted. She threw an approving look back over her shoulder as the two of them left the kitchen. She needed a break from the seriousness of their discussion anyway. The darklighter, Lana, Gideon and the rest of the Triad would still be waiting for them in a few hours anyway.

"Have fun with that," Prue threw back so her sister would overhear.

"Well, unfortunately ladies, there's no fun for me. I need to get going myself. I've got alot of work waiting for me at the office," Paige informed them. "But, uh, no worries 'cause will figure it all out." She made another face as she thought about her words. "Some how. Besides, these kitchen meetings are becoming so frequent maybe we should just add them into our day calenders," she cracked while getting up from her seat.

"I thought these meetings already were," Piper turned the joke back around on her.

Paige smiled and reached across for some of her sister's long hair. "Nice," she commented. "Like the new look. I think it's so you," she teased. Then she walked off.

"Ha ha, funny," Piper retorted. "Just give Henry my best. He lives with you."

Actually, she was grateful to have her longer hair back but had been afraid to do it herself, contemplating the personal gain rule. It made her feel somewhat back to normal again. She had woken up early in the morning and her natural assumption had gone straight to Billie. Which meant that some type of spell had to have been cast overnight.

"I guess I'll go upstairs and start to work on finding them," Piper offered, referring to the Book of Shadows and scrying to get a possible location. She got up and brought her empty cup to the sink. "Care to be of any help?" She began rinsing the cup.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be up in a minute."

Piper turned around to face Prue. It was an answer but a distant answer. Piper knew the tone. Her sister was distracted by something else that was on her mind. She had two other sisters she was use to dealing with over the last five years and Prue really hadn't changed all that much either. She recognized the signs. Especially the tone of voice.

"Alright. Spill it, sister. What's up?" Piper went for it. The clean cup was placed inside the dish strainer and she made her way back over to the table to take a seat again. This time she was facing her sister directly. "And don't try to deny it. Somethings bothering you, I can tell. You've been a little distant all morning."

Prue sighed. She took her spoon and moved it around the cup, causing the dark liquid found inside of it to swirl around.

"I'm not denying it. I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to handle it."

Piper took a moment to absorb what her sister was getting at. "I'm going to assume this is about Andy, right?" She paused to think. "So. I guess he got pretty freaked out about last night, huh?"

"Yeah, but it's more like he's just freaked out period. And I just don't know what else to say because I can't make him stay if he doesn't want to."

"Wait, he said he wants to leave you?" Piper was surprised.

"No, not exactly. Just more like the more distance he puts between us, the better off it'll be for him type of thing." She made a face.

"Well, Prue, maybe space isn't such a bad thing," came the suggestion. "I mean, Leo and I actually parted ways a few times until we finally got it right," Piper shared.

"Actually, it's not like I have much of a choice at all, Piper. He said that's what he wants to do. It's what he's going to do. He needs the time and space and I just get to wait around until he decides otherwise." Prue began to fiddle with her coffee again.

"Alright," Piper offered. "So take advantage of the break and then just hope for the best. I think Andy will come around soon. Besides, the magical world effects everyone differently. Andy may be someone who just needs a little more time to adjust, that's all. I mean, he was literally just thrown back into the swing of everything without much of a say. Can't be that easy."

Prue shot her sister a glare. "Thanks for the guilt trip."

Piper laughed.

"Prue, that is not what I mean. I'm not trying to make you feel bad on purpose but it's just that the truth is what it is. Andy came back married to a witch. His daughter or rather ... daughters," she stressed, correcting herself, "are witches too and he has alot to be worried about. He didn't even know about Billie and it's a pretty dangerous world to be caught up in just by choice let alone when there's no choice involved whatsoever."

Piper moved to get up.

"Oh, I don't know," Prue plastered on a fake smile. "Maybe I'll just go plunge myself head-first right into the San Francisco Bay. If I just give into my old fear of drowning, Gideon and the rest of the Triad won't even be able to find me. And maybe it'll save Barbas the extra trouble if he ever decides to come after us again."

"Hey, not funny," Piper scolded teasingly. "You already conquered that fear. And it wouldn't make Andy or your children any safer to find you floating around like a frozen Popsicle. Now we love you and we're here if you need anything," she stressed. "So stop with the self-loathing already and meet me up in the attic. Contrary to what your stubborn self may like to believe, you're not all alone in this."

"Tell that to Andy," Prue sighed, getting up from her own chair.

Piper headed in the direction of the dining room. "Okay, do we need to get Coop in on this?" she shot over her shoulder in a teasing manner.

A puzzled expression washed over Prue's features.

"Why? What does that mean?"

A cheesy laugh flowed from Piper. "Ask Paige. She can tell you all about it," she supplied in reference to Paige and Henry's own marital intervention not that long ago.

Prue followed her sister out of the kitchen still not fully understanding what the dig meant.

**ooooo**

Andy sat at his office desk, staring into the space in front of him. The same file sat open on his desk for the last thirty minutes; however, as hard as he tried he just couldn't concentrate. He had alot on his mind, starting with things on the home-front.

"Inspector?" a voice called out to him. "There's someone here that's looking for you."

Andy was pulled from out of the daze and he turned his attention towards the young man delivering the news.

"Who?" he inquired, looking around.

"That woman right over there," the other man informed him, pointing in the direction of an attractive woman in her thirties. "Yup, what a looker," the other man admired. "She was at your desk waiting for you earlier while you were in a meeting with the Captain."

When Andy made eye contact and locked stares with the other woman, she smiled wide in his direction. He, on the other-hand, was completely surprised to find out who it was looking back at him. Andy got up from out of his chair and approached the woman.

"Susan?" he greeted her in surprise. Then he smiled. "How are you? It's good to see you again." He immediately bent over to kiss the side of her cheek but as a friendly, platonic gesture. "What are you doing here?"

She laughed lightly. "Well, I heard you were back in town and just thought I'd drop by to see how you've been," she answered with an aura of mystery mixed in. "It's been so long," she reached out and brushed the tips of her fingers down his sleeve.

A little taken aback by the obvious flirtation, he tried to ignore it.

"Uh, back?" he questioned, pulling back a little, and feeling momentarily confused.

"Yeah, didn't you transfer to New York a little while back? With your girlfriend, or fiance ..." she played dumb for the moment.

Right. The made-up history, Andy reasoned to himself.

"My wife," he corrected. "Prue and I have been married almost six years now."

"Right, Prue," she feigned a smile. "Congratulations. It's lasted longer than our marriage. So, how is she?" It was a question born out of common courtesy, not real interest.

"Good," he replied vaguely. Susan picked up on the strain in the tone of voice.

"Right. So how does the east coast fare from the west coast? I take it you were homesick if you decided to venture back this way." She laughed.

"No. Just a job transfer. Plus, Prue gets to be closer to her family," he shared.

"Wow, they must be pretty close."

"You have no idea," he laughed through gritted teeth, knowing full well that he'd be the only one to fully understand the meaning behind that. He sighed. "Look, Susan, not that it's not great to see you again, but I do really need to be getting back to work," he attempted to break off the short reunion. "It was nice of you to stop by."

"Oh, no problem," she accepted in a sweet tone. "Maybe we can do dinner sometime?" she suggested boldly. When she caught his expression, she laughed. "Just a friendly dinner of course," she tried to pacify him. "Between old friends."

"Maybe," he accepted, not completely comfortable with the offer. "Bye," he waved her off, as he backed up and knocked into the man walking behind him. He almost tripped over the other man. "Sorry about that," he quickly offered to the man whose file went flying onto the ground. Andy covered up with a nervous, light laugh and went back to his desk.

Completely amused by the encounter, Susan Trudeau flashed one last warm smile and then turned around to exit through the doors.

**ooooo**

The darklighter orbed into the first floor of the manor, being careful to remain undetected by anyone still inside the house.

He glanced around the living room area, trying to figure out where the best place to deposit the doll would be. It had to be somewhere the adults wouldn't find it but where the kids could get to it both easily and right away. However, his moment of contemplation was short-lived as he heard the front door opening and a woman call out.

"Hello? Prue, Piper? Anyone still home?"

Quickly, his eyes scanned the lay-out for a hiding place. He chanted over the doll, infusing the dark magic necessary to effect the children but not the adults should they accidentally come into contact with the child's doll. Glancing at the opening door leading into the grandfather clock, the darklighter opened it and deposited the doll inside. However, he didn't have time to close the door as he orbed out and the woman rounded the corner into the living room.

Taking a quick glance around, Paige's eyes landed on the open door on the front of the grandfather clock.

"Hm, that's a little odd."

She walked over to close it but when she got there, something compelled her to look inside first. And when she did, she was greeted by a surprising discovery. Hidden inside the grandfather clock, was Molly's doll Emma. Paige reached inside for it and pulled it out.

"There you are, Emma," Paige held the doll out in front of her, talking to it. "Wyatt left you in there, huh?" she mused.

Walking back into the foyer, she placed the doll on the table stand as she made her way for the kitchen. And as she left, the doll suddenly came to life. The eyes of the doll turned and followed the movement of Paige. When she was out of sight, the doll named Emma removed herself from the table stand by hopping off and falling to the floor. The two, tiny plastic legs made a fast dash for the stairs leading to the second floor.

After a few minutes had passed, Paige had come out of the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in hand. It was her lunch break and she decided to go with something simple before heading back to work.

"Okay, Emma, you and I are taking a little trip ..." but her line of thought trailed off after she came back to where she had left the doll. Her eyes widened when she saw no doll, and she immediately began checking her entire surroundings.

Did the doll fall under the table stand? Nope not there.

Did the doll slide somewhere on the floor? Nope not there.

Was she going crazy? Had she taken the doll to the kitchen with her? She headed back to the kitchen in a hurry to check it out. Nope not there either.

She ran back into the living room to check the clock. Nope, Emma wasn't back there.

"Okay, did I actually find a doll today or am I just hallucinating?" she mocked, shaking her head in disbelief as she decided to orb upstairs.

**ooooo **

Piper sat inside of the attic, Billie at her side. Prue had taken a break to go and check on the kids, so a deafening silence infiltrated the atmosphere. Earlier, Prue and Piper had walked in on her already in the attic. She had been thumbing through the Book of Shadows, contemplating how she would break ground with the others. However, Piper had finally decided to open up.

"You know, almighty blonde one," she cracked "my hair thanks you lots, but that still doesn't clear up our problem," she informed her. "But it's a start," she quickly amended with some humor mixed inside of the remark.

Billie's face broke with a smirk as she closed the Book of Shadows on her lap. She had been examining the book and collecting any new spells or potions that would be helpful in protecting the manor against sudden demon or darklighter attacks. Especially since it appeared as if the crystals wouldn't be effective anymore. Piper sat at the table, using the scrying tools to try and locate a place where Gideon and the Triad were shielding themselves.

"I know. And I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to shout and walk out on you guys, it's just that I thought I was helping. I guess the only other thing I can say is that I won't do it alone next time. The next time I'll come to you guys first."

"Mm. Uh-huh," Piper murmured, without taking her eyes off of the scrying she was still in the middle of doing. "Well, easier said than done, right? But you're forgiven. For now, at least," she teased her.

Billie's smile widened. "Thanks."

However, the moment was interrupted with the appearance of Paige's orbs. She stepped out of them and into the interaction taking place between Piper and Billie.

"Where's Leo?" Paige inquired.

"At magic school. Where else. Why?" Piper asked in a distracted manner.

"Um, well for one, maybe he can use some of the magic from there to keep that stupid doll in one place," she cracked, rolling her eyes in the process.

Piper laughed. "You found it? Because Phoebe had no luck with it this morning."

"It was hidden downstairs inside of the grandfather clock," Paige informed them. "I found the small glass door opened when I came inside."

This even caught Billie's attention. "That's a weird place for it to be. Wyatt thought of that place all by himself?" she asked with skepticism.

"No, what's weird is that I placed it down on the table stand and left for a second. And when I came back to get it, the silly thing was gone. Again."

Piper looked up with widened eyes. "Well, it couldn't have just walked off by itself."

Suddenly, there was a shuffling sound that all three women were alerted to. The tiny doll made a quick dash across the floor, careful not to be seen, and then hid behind the antic couch. Taking a peek around the side, it smiled as the confused faces looked around, searching for the source of the disturbance. Taking note that none of its intended targets were present in the room, the doll quietly made its way back for the exit. However, hearing the movement from below the stairs, it suddenly dropped on a step, completely lifeless again. It sat in a seated position on the step, supported by the wall behind it.

Inside the attic, the three women shook off their jitters and resumed the previous discussion that they were having before being interrupted by what they thought they had heard.

"Actually, I need Leo for something else. I think I just got a new charge today that came through social services," she informed them. "He's a kid, around twelve, and he's been orphaned by both parents. No other relatives have come forward. I was thinking that maybe there was some possible way that we could get him into the magic school?" she shrugged.

"How?" Billie asked the obvious question. "Without social services finding out?"

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to work, Paige," Piper agreed. "But you can still talk to Leo about it anyway. Maybe he has some ideas."

"I'd like to come up with something because I don't think it's a good idea to let this kid be pushed through a ton of foster homes without any proper magical guidance whatsoever," she shared her concerns.

"Maybe they can find him adoptive parents that are magical," Billie half-joked, shrugging her shoulders in the air.

Paige narrowed her eyes in at Billie playfully. "Or maybe someone should be in class right now and staying out of trouble."

"Day off," Billie quickly lied in her defense. She immediately turned her attention back to the Book of Shadows, flipping it to the first page it opened to.

"Uh-huh." Paige arched her brows not really believing a word of it.

However, the three women were suddenly alerted to the presence of another as Phoebe waltzed in through the attic door. Taking her designer jacket off and throwing it over an antic chair, her smile widened and she offered her greeting.

"Hey you guys. On my lunch break, just thought I'd stop by and see what two of my favorite sisters were up to. So what are you up to?" She began walking towards them. "More in the lifestyles of the not so rich and magical, I see?" Then, she suddenly remembered something else. "Oh, and wasn't that Molly's doll sitting down on the stairs?" she asked, pointing over her shoulder. "I can't believe you guys found it, I looked everywhere this morning."

Paige's face crinkled up into a look of pure bewilderment. "Uh, we didn't. I did. But the last time I saw it, it was all the way downstairs. And then it was gone. Poof! Abra-Cadabra!" She used her arm to imitate her words.

Phoebe couldn't help but laugh because of the expression found on her sister's face when she delivered the news.

"Well, Paige, it didn't just get up and walk by itself."

"The attic staircase. How did it get there?" questioned Billie.

Phoebe shrugged. "It's there."

"Prue probably found it and put it there," Piper surmised. She got herself up from her seated position and moved to go check it out.

"Uh, no, don't think so," Phoebe tread-ed lightly on the next topic of conversation. "She's actually downstairs in the kitchen," she pointed back over her shoulder. "Uh, with Andy. Having another argument. He must have decided to take a lunch break too."

"Oh, great timing." Piper rolled her eyes on her way out the door. "Right in the middle of demon-duty detail," she vented.

"Uh-huh. Now you know why I'm standing up here and not down there," Phoebe delivered her own crack.

However, when Piper came back into the attic, she was empty-handed with her own look of confusion set in place.

"Phoebe, there's nothing there."

"What?" Phoebe declared. "Sure it is. I almost tripped over the thing coming up the stairs."

Piper shook her head. "No. I didn't see anything. Go ahead and check for yourself if you want to," she informed her sister.

"Wait, what's all this talk about Prue and Andy fighting again?" Paige narrowed her eyes playfully after turning the topic back to Phoebe's announcement. "Maybe it's time we think about some sisterly intervention?"

All attention was drawn away from the doll.

Piper's eyes widened with that predictable suggestion coming from her. "Paige, no, don't even think about it," she warned. "Absolutely not," she declined.

"Hey, you didn't even hear my idea out," she pretended to be offended, standing with her hands against her hips.

"Paige, we don't need to hear your idea out," Phoebe jumped into the mix with a light laugh. "Meddling is meddling, period. And I have all the experience in the world, with your sisterly interventions, to prove it."

"Well, someone else might actually appreciate it, thank you very much," Paige shot back playfully before orbing out.

"Uh, Paige, wait ... " but Piper's protests were only met with the sight of her orbs disappearing in front of them. She closed her eyes and opened them back up before sharing a look with Phoebe.

"Prue's going to kill her!" Piper cracked with a laugh that she shared with Phoebe.

"Let her live and learn I say," came Phoebe's comeback.

Piper, Phoebe, and Billie all shared a last laugh together before resuming what they had been doing prior to the discussion. Phoebe jumped into help for a little bit before having to return back to work.

**ooooo**

It was much later in the evening when the doorbell rang, grabbing the attention of the two sisters found on the first floor.

Prue exited the kitchen with a bowl of ice cream in hand. Lately, she had been craving things extremely sweet, no doubt a craving resulting from the pregnancy. Both she and Piper were sharing a carton from the fridge and eating at the table together. Piper followed behind her sister as Prue approached the door to find out who was there.

After placing the bowl down on the small stand found just before the front door, she reached for the doorknob and was greeted by the last person she expected to see.

"Uh, hi. Can I help you?" Prue stammered out.

She wasn't quite sure if the woman standing there was who she thought it could be but she looked alot like Andy's first wife.

The woman standing on the opposite side flashed a wide smile in her direction. She wore a very form-fitting evening dress that showed off her fit figure. Prue took in the other woman's appearance and immediately felt inadequate about her own. There she was a few moments ago, almost five months pregnant, sitting at a kitchen table porking down ice cream, while hiding her own figure under loose garments.

"Yes, actually, you can," the woman threw back at her in a sickeningly, sweet voice. "Is Andrew home by any chance?"

Prue gave her a look as Piper came to stand beside her.

"And you would be?" Prue narrowed her eyes, questioning the other woman's business. She shook her head back and forth as the words left her mouth.

"Oh, yes, how rude of me." The other woman immediately extended her hand. "I'm Susan Trudeau. His wife." She caught Prue's dirty look and quickly amended it. "Or rather, his ex-wife," she made it a point to laugh. "Sorry. I think we actually met once before."

"Right, Susan," Prue forced herself to smile back at the woman while extending her own hand. "No, sorry Susan, but _Andy's_ not home right now." Prue made it a deliberate point to stress the use of Andy instead of his formal use of Andrew. After all, everyone called him Andy and not Andrew. "But I'll let him know you stopped by." She made an immediate attempt to shut the door to get rid of the other woman until she heard and felt the protest.

"Oh, it's not like that or anything," Susan put her hand out to stop the door from closing in her face. She also made a bold move inside of the doorway. "I just wanted to return this to him. He forgot it earlier when we met," she reached over to hand Prue his wallet.

"I'm sorry. When you met?" Prue questioned, taking the wallet from her.

Piper felt the tension and broke in.

"Uh, Susan why don't you come in and have a seat," she released a light laugh full of her own fakeness. "I'm Piper, Prue's sister. And Andy's sister-in-law." She extended her own hand and Susan accepted.

"Nice to meet you, Piper, and thanks."

Susan accepted the offer and stepped inside the manor. She took further steps inside the foyer, looking around with interest. Then, she made her move into the living room that was only a few feet away from them. Prue took full advantage of the other woman's moment of distraction as an opportunity to throw her sister a glare. Piper threw Prue back a look of her own, accompanied by a slight nudge to Prue's side.

"Your home is beautiful," she swooned. "Different."

Piper nodded her head in agreement.

"Different is definitely how I'd choose to describe it," she laughed through some clenched teeth, thinking of the shock this other woman would most certainly encounter if a demon decided to attack in the manor at this very instant.

Susan looked down and noticed the small doll seated on the chair. Picking it up, she decided to comment on it.

"Cute doll. So you have kids?" she inquired, looking between them both.

Both Prue and Piper offered silent nods of the head but each had questioning looks on their faces when their attention was drawn to the doll Susan was now holding.

"You found the doll?" Prue gritted through clenched teeth.

"No, we thought you did," Piper gritted back.

Susan sighed, placing the doll back down. "Andrew and I talked about having kids," she laughed at what the two sisters perceived was her own stroll down memory lane. "It was just never the right time for us, I guess. In fact, our marriage probably would have lasted alot longer if it hadn't been for our different career paths," she chose to share on purpose.

Prue was resisting the urge to hurl something. Piper, in the meantime, was picking up on her sister's mounting frustration through their empathic connection. The truth be known, Piper was resisting her own urge to throw up at the other woman's obvious attempts to get under Prue's skin. Susan took a few steps closer to the two sisters.

"I actually just wanted to confirm the time and day for our dinner date," she declared a few feet in front of Prue. "It's just to get reacquainted. He didn't tell you about it?" she feigned in complete innocence.

Prue tried to suppress the sudden urge to just throw this woman out of her home with the full use of her powers. However, she opted to distract herself with some more meaningless small talk. While briefly closing her eyes, she shook her head so she could force herself to remain cool, calm, and collected.

"No, he didn't," she sighed, her arms crossed in a defensive stance. "Was there anything else, Susan?" she asked of the other woman.

Piper glanced side-ways at her sister.

"Of course, you're welcome to attend," she suddenly invited Prue, as if she were doing her some big favor by asking her along.

Susan's eyes scanned the length of the other woman's body, standing in front of her, before breaking in with the final remark that sent Prue over the edge.

"But then again, maybe that's me being a little too presumptuous. Perhaps you'd like to hold off on that dinner invitation for another time. You do appear to have put on some more weight since the last time we met, no?"

Prue's eyes bulged and her hands immediately flew up into the air. Piper sensed exactly what was about to happen and reacted instantly. She grabbed for her sister's arms, thrusting them back down.

"Okay," Piper released a fake laugh to cover over the situation. "Gee, look how late it is already. It's really time to be going," she walked in the direction of Susan and began pushing her in the direction of the front door.

"But ..." Susan attempted to argue but it didn't deter Piper.

"We'll tell Andy you stopped by. Bye-bye now," and then Susan was literally thrust right out the front door despite her protests.

After slamming the door, the fake smile disappeared, and Piper turned around. She gave her sister a stern look.

"Are you crazy?" she admonished, walking back towards Prue. "You can't just blow up the ex-wife, what are you, nuts?!" she drawled on in typical Piper fashion.

"Oh yeah, watch me," Prue retorted, advancing in the direction of the front door. But she was blocked by Piper.

"Prue, no. Granted, she's someone I wouldn't mind going a few rounds with myself but that's not the way our powers work. We can't blow up witchy ex-wives, no pun intended by the way," she interjected upon quick reflection of her description. "We can't blow up any human beings just because we find them annoying. There would be no one left in the world," she rolled her eyes.

"Witchy?" Prue picked up.

"I was just trying to be polite," smirked Piper. She closed her eyes, hands against her hips, and began swaying from side to side. "Substitute the W with a B and we both know what I really mean!"

Prue threw her a smirk before turning serious again.

"Okay, but annoying? Try downright psychotic. And that perkiness is even more fake then that horrible implant job it's so obvious she's had done," Prue let out.

Piper smirked. "Wait a minute, are you saying you noticed that she had a boob job?" she laughed. "Because I didn't notice it."

"Ew, quick glance," Prue clarified, closing her eyes and feeling disgusted by the idea that Piper actually thought she leered that long. "I didn't stare."

"Right, okay," Piper nodded.

"Piper, why did you even invite her into manor in the first place?" Prue accused.

Piper shot her an incredulous look.

"Uh, lets see, because if I hadn't intervened and diffused the tension building at the front door, we might not even be standing here now enlightened by the fact that she's had breast implants," Piper couldn't help but laugh again before turning serious "or having this argument about Susan leaving here alive," she cracked again, delivering a dramatic facial expression with it. "Try having that discussion with Andy, by the way, and see how far your marriage gets."

"Yeah, well, I'm questioning how far our marriage is going to get period. Especially, with her in the picture and Andy wanting a normal life," Prue couldn't help but share her concerns. "Andy didn't mention to me at all that he ran into her today," she shared in all seriousness.

Piper sighed, understanding how her sister's fears could possibly be founded.

"Prue, I'm sure it's nothing," she tried offering reassurance. "Susan probably embellished the whole meeting with him," she rolled her eyes around. "She seems like the type and if you're really that worried about it, just ask him."

While listening to her sister, Prue reached out for the ice cream bowl left on the stand and headed back towards the kitchen. Piper followed.

"And ask him what exactly?" Prue retorted. "If he's still got a thing for his ex, who just happens to have met with him today and in which he just conveniently forgot to mention," she gestured with her hands moving around. "And then shows up on our doorstep with his wallet and an invitation to have dinner with her?"

"Well, she's certainly not subtle, is she?" Piper cracked, thinking about how this Susan could spell trouble. Especially with the fragile state Prue and Andy's relationship was in during the present moment in time.

Prue rinsed the bowl and discarded it in the sink.

"No," she answered Piper, turning back around and leaning against the sink "And I have a feeling that won't be the last I see of her. But let me get to bed, I'm exhausted and I'm sure Andy's already asleep." While walking past her sister, she reached out to hug and kiss her. "Love you. See you in the morning." And with that, she left the kitchen.

Piper sighed and was left standing in the kitchen by herself, contemplating the compiling list of issues they were all facing in their personal lives and magical ones.

**ooooo**

After daybreak, Paige had gotten up early, at the crack of dawn, intent on heading out so she could follow Coop until he agreed to do what she had requested from him the other day. He was still hesitant about giving in to assist, so she decided the extra push was necessary.

"Paige, you do know I'm on assignment here," he informed her as she continued to follow him around after orbing into his location.

"Just say the right words and I'll be gone," Paige mused with a smile.

Coop stood on a busy street, following a young man on his way to work. Everyday, the young man would stop and watch the young woman with the curly red hair from across the distance. Each morning, she would grab a coffee from a local cafe. The funny part of the whole story was that the two of them worked at the same place. The young man just never gathered up enough courage to walk over and ask her out.

Coop walked a little closer and Paige trailed behind.

"Who are they?" Paige whispered over to him, as she stared across the way.

"Just two people who are perfect for each other but just need a little push and the right amount of inspiration to get things moving," Coop relayed to her, lifting his ring up. The red light suddenly enveloped him, and Paige too, who had latched on. The light carried them to the young man.

"Paige?" he admonished, finding her there beside him. "You can't keep doing this."

"What? Can anyone see me?" she glanced around nervously. "Can he see me?" she suddenly shot her attention in the young man's direction. She waved her hand in front of his face.

Coop reached out and grabbed her arm. "No, he can't see you. But you don't belong here with me while I'm working."

"C'mon, Coop" she pleaded. "I need your help on this one. If you can inspire two people that don't even know each other yet, then the least you can do is offer a little bit of that inspiration to two people we do know. And, uh, might I remind you people who incidentally are family!" she stressed. "People who will soon be your family too."

"Paige, I can't interfere with Prue and Andy's marriage," he stated firmly. "You know that because I already told you the same exact thing yesterday when you came to me and wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Yeah, that's because no is the wrong answer," she hissed in whisper. "You helped me with Henry when we were having newly wed issues," she pointed out to him.

"That's because I had your express permission to do it!"

"So, then we get permission. No biggie," she argued back. "C'mon. There has to be something you can do," she begged.

Coop sighed, giving up on the relentless debate.

"Fine," he relented. "Get both Prue _and_ Andy," he stressed that it had to be both of them, "to be willing to sit down with me, and then there might be something I can do to help. Or, at least, based on what you've told me their issues seem to be."

Paige began jumping up and down. "Ooh, you're the best," she declared excitedly. Then she reached over and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Yeah, now just orb your whitelighter self out of here so I can finish what I started, please?" he nodded in the young man and woman's direction.

Paige flashed him a wide smile and a wave while orbing out of sight.

**ooooo**

It was the start of another new day and Phoebe was left alone at the manor, babysitting her niece and nephews.

She had taken the day off. Prue had to attend the job interview that was rescheduled, Piper had another doctor's appointment, Andy was at work, and Leo was assisting the new Elder Dimitri with the magic school. Billie was also back on campus, making up her own school work, which had fallen behind between all the demonic and personal crises.

As she began walking upstairs to check on the kids, she felt something move beneath her and trip her. And when she looked down, she saw Molly's doll there. She then picked it up and took a hard look at it.

"Okay, this doll is starting to give me the creeps," she noted out loud to herself, shaking her head against the weird vibes she was feeling.

Resuming back in the direction of the second floor, Phoebe carried the doll with her the rest of the way. Making her way to the boys room, she opened the door to find the three young children playing with an assortment of toys. Without disturbing them, she smiled and then placed the doll on the floor. She walked back out of the room.

Molly was alerted to the sound of the door closing and she immediately turned to see her doll sitting against the wall. Her eyes widened and a big smile broke out on her face.

"Emma?!" she exclaimed, getting up and preparing to retrieve her lost doll. "Auntie Phoebe found you," a giggle followed, with the new correct pronunciation of her aunt's name.

However, the children received the surprise of their lives when the doll came to life. The doll named Emma jumped onto her feet, eyes narrowing and plastic lips forming into a sneer, as the girl child approached the toy with a look of astonishment. As Molly approached, Emma suddenly darted away from her grasp, into the opposite direction. The doll found its way underneath the toddler bed.

Molly laughed and chased after her. "Emma, come back and play with me."

She knelt down as Wyatt and Chris watched her. She reached her hand under the bed and when she had a tight grasp on the doll, she pulled it out. Molly smiled and stood up, hugging Emma close to her. Suddenly, a dark red light zapped from out of the doll and surrounded Molly. And then in a quick flash, she had disappeared. The doll, Emma, dropped back onto the floor.

Wyatt stared, looking on with a surprised expression. "Uh-oh!" he announced. "Bad dolly."

He watched the doll suddenly resume to life again as it lifted itself off of the floor, only to run to the door and pull the unlocked door open from the bottom. Then the doll named Emma proceeded to slip through the opening.

"Aunt Phoebe?" little Wyatt called out as he too ran for the door to follow the doll.

Little Chris was left sitting in the room by himself, completely confused about what had just transpired in their bedroom.

* * *

**To Be Continued: **Alright. That's the end of that chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed it and I'll be working on the next chapter, as I already have a working title for it, **lol.**

**Stay Tuned: **And please don't forget to review. Thanks a bunch. **:o)**


	37. Hickory Dickory Dock

**Hi everyone. **

**Thanks again for the awesome reviews. I continue to really appreciate them:**

**Love Angel 1705, AlyssaP3, du1387, PrUeAnDAnDy, charmedgirl-alyssaphoebe, CHARMEDxoxo, and PiperPaigeHalliwell:**

**Love Angel:** Glad you liked the doll, lol.

**AlyssaP3: **hehe, saw the movie. Me liked it!** ;o)**

**du1387 and PrUeAnDAnDy:** Thanks again for the reviews.

**charmedgirl-alyssaphoebe:** Welcome back. Glad you're still following the story.

**CHARMEDxoxo:** Welcome and sorry about your eyes, lol. I know it's long. But thanks for the compliment.

**PiperPaigeHalliwell:** Thank you. I'm flattered that you think this is the best story ever, lol.

**And of course, the next title is inspired by a children's nursery rhyme, in case you hadn't already noticed, lol. And just to avoid confusion, the two separate events occurring in the first part of the next chapter below, are events that are actually occurring at the same time. That is why I put them together in the same section. I guess the best way to picture it in your mind would be to think of the scenes flashing back and forth like the same way they would on TV.**

**Hope that made sense, lol.**

**And on a side note, the long last language found in the chapter is completely made up. No real translations are found in here, lol.**

* * *

**Chapter 36: Hickory Dickory Dock, Wyatt Went Through the Clock**

**(Gideon's Hidden Lair) ...**

Her hands were sore.

They were cracked and bleeding but those signs weren't visible to the naked eye because all the marks covering her hands were hidden beneath all the dirty soot that came from the ground. But she was too tired to continue any further.

"Dammit," Lana cursed, throwing herself back against the bars to take another break.

Her heavy, labored breathing could be heard if someone were close enough or around to listen to it and she used her forearm to wipe against the beads of sweat forming over and around her brow. All around the dark cavern, she was met only with dead silence. Closing her eyes, the exhaustion she felt passed through her like a tidal wave and she sought out the much needed rest that her body craved. She would try again later. After all, time was something she definitely had on her side. At least for the moment.

"There's got to be another way out of here," she muttered, hitting her head against the metal bars.

**(Hidden Underworld Chamber) ...**

_The shadows, caused by the flaming torches on the walls, danced across the sides of the charcoal-colored structure. The flames were the only signs of light present anywhere inside the dark chamber as Gideon and his fellow Triad members stood together, forming a circle. With their eyes closed and hands raised up high, they were chanting in unison. It was time._

_Gideon had managed to successfully decipher the meaning behind the secret language. The remaining stones had guided him during his quest to pull the words apart and magically filter them through a magical decoder. Dark magic had its own resources found deep in the Underworld that Gideon had maneuvered to take full advantage of. Which meant that the Triad now had the ability to tap into the Ultimate Power using the backwards translation to the incantation found just below them. _

**(Gideon's Hidden Lair) ... **

Lana had been using her hands, for what seemed like an eternity, to try and reach freedom. The incessant digging was a constant reminder of what living mortal could be like. The feeling of actual physical pain, something she wasn't normally accustomed to due to her ability to suppress it over the years, surged through her. She flinched against it.

"Come on think" she instructed to herself just barely above a whisper.

With the use of her powers proving ineffective, there was no other hope of escape except to create the hope itself. And then there was Gideon, who was nowhere to be found. He had disappeared shortly after her arrival back into the Underworld and into his clutches. She quickly contemplated whether or not Billie or JD would even realize she had gone missing or that another switch had taken place. However, after thinking about it, she quickly acknowledged that grim possibility. Her attitude and actions weren't really that different from other demons. So she quickly conceded that her fate was sealed, she was doomed each and every way she looked at it.

_Somebody please help me, _her desperate plea flowed through her thoughts.

And then she did something she had never really done before. She cried. Her shoulders began shaking and she brought her knees up against her chest, hiding her face, as she allowed the emotions to pass through her in the form of streaming tears. Her mind was doing battle with itself and slowly, she felt the hopelessness taking over.

**(Hidden Underworld Chamber) ...**

_The chant reverberated everywhere in the small chamber. All members were held within a deep transit state._

_"Puntos exum es fumos. El magrat et un relium. Grasuos del litious. Et un cre suprosos en tendraque. Del cratiuqese les librante que mas et unet me leso delgradona crete."_

_A bright blue light shot upwards out of the small circle. It was a circle found inside of the Triad's own circle. The incantation was being housed by the remaining Vicarian Stones that surrounded the powerful inscription from every direction. The chant continued to flow and the light grew stronger._

_"Puntos exum es fumos. El magrat et un relium. Grasuos del litious. Et un cre suprosos en tendraque. Del cratiuqese les librante que mas et unet me leso delgradona crete." _

**(Gideon's Hidden Lair) ... **

"I don't want to die again. Please," she pleaded and choked out in between sobs. "Please. Don't let me die."

Vulnerable moments such as these were few and far in between during her life spent in the Underworld. But she didn't want to return to the Wasteland. True enough, the Triad part of herself would most likely secure her another resurrection if she died.

However, Lana was suddenly alerted to a loud clicking noise that completely startled her. Immediately jerking her head up to locate the source of the disturbance, she was alarmed to discover that the locked door leading into the cage had somehow managed to unlock and swing itself open. Instantly, she rose to her feet and took the few steps to the door. Cautiously looking around, she called out.

"Hello?"

She received no answer back.

"Who's there?" she tried again. But still there was no response.

Lana took a few, careful, cautious steps forward and then finally exited the cage. One more final time, she glanced at her surroundings, completely baffled on how her release from imprisonment had just been secured. Then, taking quick strides, she went in search of the entrance that would take her out of this cave once and for all.

**(Hidden Underworld Chamber) ...**

_The chant was repeated over and over again until finally the bright blue light divided into four directions, infusing each of the Triad members with the power necessary to tap into the Ultimate Power base. _

_Gideon and the rest of the Triad were clothed in the aura of deep, bright blue until the infusion process was completed and the glow vanished from sight. Each of the members took a moment to compose themselves, each looking to the other one, before anyone opted to speak out._

_"Is it done?" the FIRST Triad broke the silence._

_Gideon sneered. "Yes. It is done. All that remains now is that we prepare for our attack against the Charmed Ones."_

_"And if it doesn't work the first time?" the SECOND Triad inquired._

_"Then we re-infuse ourselves with the power all over again," Gideon clarified. "By engaging in the ritual we just performed now."_

_"I don't understand why we can't just keep the power now that we have access to it," the THIRD Triad member grumbled in apparent frustration. "Why the need to keep infusing ourselves with it?"_

_"Because that's just the way it works," Gideon barely contained the urge to call the other member an idiot. _

_How many times and in how many different languages would he have to explain it to them? And he thought working alongside Dumain had been bad. _

_"The Ultimate Power belongs to the sisters," he continued. "Only they have the ability to maintain their power source indefinitely. Or until one or more of them dies. Which means we need to safeguard this incantation at all times. It's our only way in."_

_"Very well," the First Triad immediately cut in. "Let's move on to what needs to be done. Has the darklighter secured the capture of the next generation?"_

_"He's working on it as we speak," Gideon sneered._

**ooooo**

The pattering sound of small feet resounded against the floor as little Wyatt ran around the corner in search of the doll. The curious toddler was still on the second floor but he quickly found himself at the top of the stairs looking down. The doll continued on its journey down to the first floor, as the soon-to-be four year old watched in awe and wonder.

"Aunt Phoebe?" his small voice traveled downstairs. "Help."

When the little boy received no answer, he slowly descended the stairs all on his own, taking unsure steps. However, when he reached the bottom steps, he missed sight of the small plastic arm that reached through one of the openings found on the banister. It then grabbed for Wyatt's leg, pulling and sending him toppling down the remaining flight of stairs.

"Ouch!" his cry resonated.

He looked up from the floor only to find a small plastic face contorted with an evil sneer. It proceeded to laugh and then it headed in the direction of the dining room, running underneath the table and out of a direct line of sight. Phoebe came out of the kitchen, overhearing the loud thumping noise, catching him just in time as he lifted himself from off the floor. She had been in the middle of helping Piper out with some chores around the house, finishing the last load of laundry.

"Wyatt, honey, what happened? Did you fall down?" she asked, immediately coming to her nephew's aide.

"Auntie Phoebe?" his anxious voice called out to her, although she was now kneeling down right in front of him. "The bad dolly made Molly go away," he informed his aunt, who suddenly appeared stunned by his admission. "And then the bad dolly ran away with Molly inside. Look!" He extended his arm and pointed in the direction of the table, intent on making her believe him.

Phoebe turned to look; however, there was nothing to find. No doll was under the table.

"Wyatt, there's nothing there, sweetie," she tried to reassure him, turning back to face him.

"No!" He shook his head in firm rebuttal. "She ran away again. She a mean dolly."

Phoebe sighed, figuring that Wyatt was probably in the middle of trying to hide the doll again. In fact, she was anticipating Molly's arrival on the scene any minute now, looking to retrieve Emma once again. She decided she would finish throwing the last of the laundry into the washing machine before checking up the kids upstairs to avoid another confrontation. Pulling him in close for a hug, she attempted to pacify him.

"Okay, listen. Give me one minute and then you and I are going to find out why the doll is being bad. And then we'll go make sure Molly is alright too," she played along with him.

Maybe they could finally get to the bottom of Wyatt and the doll snatching incidents once and for all?

Wyatt nodded and watched as his Aunt Phoebe retreated into the kitchen. At a quick pace, she grabbed for the basket of clothes sitting on the table and then entered the small laundry room. However, while she was distracted with the task of filling up the washer machine, the door behind her suddenly slammed shut with a loud bang.

"Wyatt?" came Phoebe's automatic assumption.

She walked over, dismayed to find that the door was in fact locked. Disgruntled, she began pulling on the door knob and banging against the glass window found on the door.

"Wyatt? This isn't funny. Open the door right now please."

However, what she caught next totally took her by surprise. Her face contorted until it resembled a mask displaying disbelief, which immediately converted over into shock. She saw the small plastic figure dart across the kitchen counter. It hadn't been Wyatt who locked her inside. Her eyes widened as she watched it jump down and then continue across the floor, preparing to leave the kitchen.

"Are you kidding me ... Hey!" her voice hitched but then trailed off as soon as she saw the doll stop. It turned around to sneer and laugh at her.

Instinctively, Phoebe jerked herself backwards in response to the unbelievable reaction she was receiving from a child's doll.

"Are you laughing at me?" she directed at it. "It's laughing at me!" she announced rather astounded. "A doll is laughing at me."

Did a spell backfire?

Quickly, she thought back to Wyatt and his story. Oh no. Molly! The kids were in trouble. She needed to find a way out of there and fast. Phoebe immediately went into panic mode. Her first instinct was in focusing her energy into trying to orb herself out. However, to her apparent dismay, she found she had trouble tapping into it. That avenue didn't work. Stepping away from the door, she then tried waving her hand to see if it would make any impact on throwing the door open. Nope. Telekinesis wouldn't work either.

"Damn, what good is this if we can't use it when we really need to!" She took a few deep breaths because she knew she was panicking instead of focusing. "Alright, calm down," she closed her eyes. "Think. There's got to be another way to get out of here."

Suddenly, she grabbed for the empty laundry basket, smashing it against the window in the hopes of breaking through it. However, she yielded no success.

"Of course. Plexi-glass" she realized.

Her attention once again landed on the doll, who stood in the small entrance leading to the dining room. Apparently, it still stood there watching, amused by all her failed attempts to free herself from the laundry room. It lifted its hand to wave, one final mocking gesture before it turned to leave for good.

"Don't you look at me like that," Phoebe shot her finger up much in the same way she would if she were reprimanding a small child. "Because you're recyclable parts when I get my hands on you," she threatened the plastic doll as its small feet carried it back off in the direction where Wyatt had been left waiting. "Or a dog's chew toy. Do you hear me?" she continued to pull against the door but to no avail. "And I can't believe that I'm standing here trying to argue with a freaking doll. Ugh!"

Giving up, she groaned in aggravation, using her hands to squeeze against her temples much in the way that one might do if they were experiencing the onset of an oncoming migraine. Then she threw her hands up in the air, signaling defeat. Her only hope now was that an empathic pull would be strong enough and that one of her sisters would show up fast.

"Great! I've just been out-smarted by the demonic doll from hell!"

**ooooo**

Paige waltzed into the police precinct intent on getting Andy out during his lunch break.

After hounding him, she had already made Coop aware that today would be the big day. Earlier, she had left Prue off at her interview, promising to orb her out afterwards. All part of the master plan, she smiled to herself. However, what she didn't expect to find was another woman hovering over Andy, clearly trying to monopolize all his time.

"Great. That must be the other little woman."

Paige had heard about Susan's sudden reappearance into Andy's life from Piper. Not to mention, her unannounced visit to the manor last night. Which, unfortunately, led to another argument between Prue and Andy during breakfast this morning. While approaching slowly, she narrowed her eyes a little bit, taking the opportunity to size the other woman up. She walked up to his desk.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything?" she asserted boldly. She plastered on a big smile and a cheery disposition.

Both Susan Trudeau and Andy shot their attention towards her.

"Uh, Paige? Hey," Andy addressed her, surprised to find her in his office. He arched his brow in wonder. "Not that it's not good to see you here, but why are you? If you don't mind my asking." He didn't want to come off as rude or insensitive.

"Well it's lunch. What better way then to get to know family, right?" she shrugged, keeping her cheery disposition alive. "Just thought I would stop on by and see if I could get your help with a family _emergency_," she stressed to him, using the infamous excuse that they had become so accustomed to over the many years. Then she turned to Susan, intent on brushing her off and hopefully getting rid of her in the process. "Sorry. Family members only. I'm sure you understand."

Susan glared at her, barely containing the need to bite her tongue.

"Well, actually ..." she began but Andy cut in to address Paige first.

"Paige, I can't go anywhere right now. I'm on the clock and I'm swamped with work. And, besides, aren't you guys better equipped to handle those kind of _emergencies_," he emphasized, an edge of distaste delivered through his statement.

He had made an immediate assumption on what the supposed emergency was all about and was refering to demon crises and the use of their powers. Honestly, he didn't really like the idea of being involved and wanted to keep out of the magic world as much as possible.

"Hahaha," Paige laughed, passing it off as a joke. "But it's not that kind of an _emergency_," she stressed right back at him.

Susan just continued to glance back and forth between them, giving them a look or expression that almost read how crazy they appeared to be for trying to talk in code. Then, remembering to slip back into her role, she plastered on another fake smile and offered her input.

"Andy, why don't you go on ahead," she urged him in a sugary voice. "I need to be going anyway and maybe we can just do that lunch another time. Besides, I know how busy it gets for you around here and my break is nearly over," she made it a point to glance down at her watch.

Andy had never actually agreed to do the lunch; however, Susan knew that the mere insinuation could get a rise out of the other woman named Paige. Especially if the inference was completely misread by her. And she had a good hunch she would get a reaction out of her. Susan bent down and kissed Andy on the cheek causing Paige to roll her eyes and suppress the urge to gag.

"See you later," she winked at him.

"Wow. Look at you," Paige quickly cut in with a light laugh, before Susan had the chance to leave. She stood there nodding her head and folding her arms. "Lets see. Lunch. Dinner. You sure do move fast," Paige passed the crack, her fake smile flashing back at Susan. "All we need now is for you to fit breakfast in there somewhere and you'll have all your _come-ons_ covered. Too bad we don't have any more room for you at the dining room table, you know, since Andy's wife and kids will already be there. The manor gets kind of crowded like that."

Paige shrugged her shoulders on purpose, a sarcastic gesture.

"We're just friends!" Susan asserted with a glare. "And if you, or Prue, or anyone else for that matter can't deal with that ..." she paused and then smiled. "Well, then that's not my problem. "Bye now," she waved her off in a sarcastic manner, turning to the Inspector. Her voice softened.

"Bye Andy."

Paige huffed to herself as the other woman walked off. She didn't like her at all. There was something off about her. Both she and Andy remained silent for a few more seconds until Susan was finally gone through the swinging door.

"Paige, that wasn't necessary."

"Oh, please," Paige bit out. "She was totally coming on to you and you know it."

Andy smirked. "Now you're sounding like Prue. That's just Susan being Susan," he tried explaining to her. "She always been a big flirt, even while we were married. It's completely harmless and she doesn't mean anything by it."

Paige threw some food for thought out there.

"Right. So then why is that you aren't still married to her then?"

Andy was sorting through his files on his desk and trying to pay attention at the same time. He paused to think about her remark.

"Ah, can we just drop this?" he tried closing the topic.

"Sure. If you come with me," Paige turned his request into a bargaining tool. "Just for a little bit. I promise that you won't regret it," she tried to sugarcoat it in a sing-song style of voice.

Andy sighed. "Fine," he gave in. He stood up, reaching for the jacket he had resting over the back of his chair. "Where are we going and what's the emergency?"

Paige smiled and turned around.

With a small sigh of resignation, he moved to follow behind her. And as soon as they were both out of the office and out of sight, Paige orbed both of them from the police precinct and straight to her apartment. When the orbs reappeared, Andy found himself in the company of a third person. This other person flashed him an awkward smile and waved.

"Hey."

It was Henry.

**ooooo**

Wyatt watched and took a few steps back as the doll darted past him and into the living room. He then took tentative steps in the same direction, watching as the doll climbed and found a way to maneuver itself back inside of the grandfather clock. The glass door was left open.

Wyatt stopped and waited a few seconds, anticipating the doll's sudden return. The clock chimed and briefly startled the little boy. However, being the curious four year-old he was, he decided to move forward and take a peek when there appeared to be no further sign or movement coming from the doll.

When he approached and looked inside, he found a lifeless doll at the bottom.

"Auntie Phoebe! In here!" Wyatt immediately called for assistance, reaching for the doll that no longer seemed to be any threat. Because maybe Molly just got stuck inside and would come out when he picked it up, his young mind rationalized.

But as soon as Wyatt's hand made contact with the doll, the same blinding light burst forth, creating a type of funnel inside the clock. The wind-speed picked up, shuffling the child's hair around. As he tried to pull away, he discovered it was too late because the funnel created inside of the clock rose causing the strong suction force to yank the little boy off of the floor and through the portal.

"Help! Auntie Phoebe?" came the final cry, until that too vanished along with the child.

**ooooo**

Lana rounded the corner, careful not to be caught by anyone that could be in league with Gideon or the rest of the Triad.

However, her luck was short-lived as her path was about to collide with that of her former captor. Walking at a quick pace, he had another darklighter with him. They appeared to be engaged in the middle of a heated discussion. She scurried into the small enclove found a couple feet away. She was so close in her escape but apparently the darklighter still had complete access to Gideon's lair, even in his absence.

"We already have one of them," she overheard one of the voices explain as they approached closer. "How much longer should it be until we have all three? And will you be going after the oldest one again?"

Billie.

Lana quickly reached the conclusion that was who he had to be referring to.

"No," the darklighter Jarad countered. "She's too advanced in her powers and we don't need to risk her or that whitelighter ruining our plans. We'll get to her after we get to the Charmed Ones," he informed the other darklighter named Crate.

"So then how much longer?" Crate pushed. "Shouldn't we wait to let Gideon and the other Triad members know after we have all of them?"

"The magic is working on the doll and it'll be done when it's done," he snapped back at him. "But I'll go and check up on the progress and move things along if need be. Gideon and the other members aren't even back yet anyway. "The cage is secure from your end?" Jarad sought confirmation, still taking a quick glance around for any signs of Gideon and the Triad's return.

"Safe and secure in our cavern," Crate assured him.

However, while listening, Lana became distracted and suddenly lost her footing. She slid, sending tons of loose pieces of gravel flying off the walls and into the small enclove housing her. Unfortunately, the noise also drew the attention of the two darklighters who were still in the lair with her.

"Who's there?" the darklighter demanded to know. He took quick steps in the direction that the sound had traveled from.

It was now or never.

Lana took a dive around the corner, running in the same direction that the two darklighters had entered in from. The darklighter, Jarad, immediately took notice of her escape and ran after her. Crate followed behind.

"Hey!" he yelled. "How did you get out?"

He orbed out, the other darklighter following his lead. But she kept running without looking back once. A few more steps and she would reach her full freedom and regain access to her powers again. That way she could go and let Billie or the Charmed Ones know what was happening.

She saw the orbs appearing in front of her and she tripped, toppling to the ground. She thought fast and began to crawl on her hands and knees.

"Not so fast," the darklighter reached out to grab her foot.

She twisted herself around and aimed a hard kick in between his groin area just as the second darklighter orbed himself in beside his comrade. Jarad released her and let out a loud wail, grabbing onto himself in pain. Lana was on her feet in a flash, heading for the exit.

"Stop her!" Jarad pointed, still holding himself.

Crate headed for her but it was too late. Lana had lept through the small entry point and reached safety, shimmering away as fast as her power could carry her.

**ooooo**

Prue stood in front of the elevators, anxiously awaiting the arrival of one of them to reach the eighth floor.

The interview had been another flop and she quickly contemplated the possibility of just going into business herself. But where would she get the money? Starting her own business and opening up her own photography studio could be risky. Besides, even if she took that risk and tried applying for a bank loan, there was no guarantee she'd be approved. However, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the arrival of orbs instead of an elevator.

Prue jumped, bringing her hand to her chest. "Paige?"

"Yep," she nodded her head dramatically. "Alive and in color," she made it a point to show off her new outfit. "And since your ride has officially arrived, what do you say we blow this place."

Her perkiness was contagious. It reached straight through her words and passed along into the mannerisms connected with her body language. She had other plans, plans she knew her older sister wasn't quite aware of just yet. But next stop? Andy and her apartment. Taking a quick inspection around them, Prue immediately reprimanded.

"Are you crazy, what if someone saw that? You were suppose to meet me outside, remember?"

At that precise moment, the elevator door opened in what Prue considered just the nick of time. Luckily, it was completely empty and she grabbed a hold of her sister's arm, ushering both of them inside as fast as she could manage.

"Whoa, pushy much?" Paige cracked, rolling her eyes.

Prue reached for a button found on a panel as the elevator door closed.

"Relax. I could sense you were alone." Paige paused for a moment considering the mood and her next words. She had picked up on the somber mood almost before she had even orbed in. "I take it that interview didn't go as smoothly as you would have liked it to, huh?" raising her eyebrows in her sister's direction.

Prue released a sigh of frustration before answering.

"Please. Don't even ask. I know Pheebs and I use to joke about Piper entering a convent someday but one more job interview like this and I think I might consider entering myself. Besides, my marriage isn't anything to really brag about at the moment."

Prue sighed and Paige arched her brows in response.

"Well, that might not be a problem you have for very long," she bragged quite openly, with a firm head-shake and a mischievous smile in place as she thought about her plan.

Prue threw her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing, never-mind," Paige waved her hand, intending to dismiss it. She didn't want to blow the plan before she even had the chance to try and make it work. "I just meant that I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding a job for very long," she quickly covered up with a shrug and behind a flashy smile. "I mean, you are Super-witch after all," she opted to throw out the one nick-name she had concocted for her all those years back.

Prue narrowed her eyes a bit playfully. "Super-witch? Okay. Now what exactly is that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing!" Pagie refuted quickly, realizing her mistake after it was too late.

She didn't want to have to get into a lengthy discussion explaining that to Prue. It could prove to be a bit disasterous this early on. Beyond the demon fighting, their personal relationship was still in that fragile place. At least, with Andy, she was trying to help she reasoned. Still, Prue didn't quite believe her. True, she also was still getting to know Paige, but she was getting comfortable with reading her unique display of body language in the same way she was used to reading Piper or Phoebe's.

"Uh-huh, right," the oldest sister stammered out the uncertainty she felt. "Look, Paige, whatever you're thinking?" she made it a point to laugh at first. However, the last word came out with an abrupt directness. "Don't!"

Paige's smile fell quickly. And then a few more seconds passed with Prue still staring.

"What?" Paige feigned in complete innocence, even though she knew she had been completely busted. "I didn't do anything. I swear," she lied.

Prue flashed her another smile, one specifically aimed at letting her know she still wasn't buying the act. Giving in for the time being, Paige just simply smiled back. It was already too late to change what she had started out to do even if she wanted to.

"Right. Got it," the youngest Halliwell conceded. "Spoil sport," she stuck her tongue out playfully.

Then Paige turned her head to the other side, fidgeting, and rolling her eyes out of her sister's direct line of sight. Her final thought on the matter followed.

_Guess she can just chew me out some more later._

**ooooo**

At the Mitchell apartment, Andy and Henry sat together on the couch, engaged in watching the baseball game playing out on the TV screen before them. Each held a beer bottle in hand, sharing a bowl of popcorn. A simple lunch break had turned into taking the rest of the evening off.

"He's gonna' hit," Henry insisted with a determined streak, as the next man to bat approached the home-base. "Game's over!"

"He's not gonna' hit," Andy refuted in favor of the opposite team he was cheering on. "He's their best pitcher. He never misses."

"No way, man," Henry shook his head against his brother-in-law's claim. "Watch and learn. This one's going out of the park. Twenty bucks says I'm right," he challenged.

"You're on," Andy grinned, accepting the bet.

The anxiousness was felt in the air all around them as it built up in the room. Both men sat on the edge of their seats, watching the screen, waiting until the ball made contact with the bat.

"Go, go, go!" Henry chanted.

"Strike, strike, strike," Andy chanted in unison, each praying for a different outcome.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" both men yelped in heated anticipation, finally jumping up from the couch as the batter up sent the ball soaring over the mound and into the vast crowd.

At the same time, orbs appeared inside of the small living room.

"He hits, home-run!" Henry threw up his arms up in victory, sending bits and pieces of popcorn flying everywhere. "Yes!" he rubbed it in, pummeling his fist in victory. Andy just groaned, taking a handful of popcorn and throwing it at the TV screen in defeat.

Prue and Paige turned to look at each other, sharing a look, and rolling their eyes in amusement towards the obvious display of macho-ism and sports. They took steps into the living room, preparing to make their presence known.

"Paige, what are we doing here?" Prue interrogated. "You were suppose to take me back to the manor."

"Just chill," she whispered back. "You can remember to thank me later."

"Sorry, Trudeau." Her husband's voice carried over. Henry's victorious grin was wide and it was thrown in the other man's direction as he reached over to pat Andy on the back. "Maybe next time." His tone turned serious. "Now pay up."

Andy reached for his wallet.

"Actually, time to go!" Paige's voice cut in, catching both men off guard. "I believe we have somewhere else to be now," she sent her husband a warning glare with her eyes, signaling him not to mess this up. "Right, honey?" she emphasized on purpose.

They both turned to stare, Andy surprised to find Prue standing there and Henry covering up the awkward moment with a cough. He had been a reluctant participant in the plan to get Prue and Andy here together. But in the end, he had decided to go along with it if only to spare himself the marital aggravation of Paige laying into him for refusing to help with what she considered, a family crisis. His mission had been to keep Andy from leaving. So he found a way to keep the other man occupied inside of their apartment while Paige retrieved Prue. Now it would be up to his other brother-in-law to take it from this point.

Prue and Andy stared across at each other. The vibes passing between them made them both feel uncomfortable. He sighed, breaking the eye contact, and turned for his jacket swung over the back of the couch.

"I should be going," he announced.

"No, actually, you don't have to go anywhere. Allow me." Prue rolled her eyes as she prepared to leave.

Paige put her hand up to stop them both. "Nope, hold it, you're not going anywhere," she supplied rather forcefully. "Coop?" she shouted out into the air. "Get your butt down here. We need you pronto."

Andy released a look of distaste. "Coop?" he repeated, crossing his arms and then glancing over at his wife.

Paige turned her attention back to them. She placed both hands against her sides.

"Now, the two of you are just going to have to sit down and talk this whole thing out. Because this is getting ridiculous. How long have you two known each other again? Since childhood? Stop letting magic or other distractions get in the way," she made it a point to look at Andy when she stressed the last part. It was a disguised reference to his ex-wife. "You both know you love each other. Think of everything you've had to go through just to be together and to get where you are right now!"

Becoming rather irritated, Andy glanced one more time between his wife and Paige. "Uh Paige, no offense here, but this is really none of your business," he informed her.

"Wrong!" Paige's voice hitched. "It is my business. And Piper's and Phoebe's when the three of us have to deal with the emotional overload that hits us like a ton of bricks every time the two of you decide to go another round. It effects our powers, you know."

"Paige," Prue began to protest. "I told you not to," she re-issued the warning she gave her inside of the elevator. "I'm a big girl. Powers or no powers that means I can handle my own problems when and how I choose to."

Andy couldn't help but snort in response to Prue's defense. Prue threw him a hard glare as Paige attempted to diffuse the situation some more.

"Hey, it's just talking, okay?" she tried to pacify her older sister while crossing her fingers behind her back. She knew she wasn't being completely truthful. "No big deal."

Prue crossed her arms.

"Really? Just talking? Why don't I believe you," she narrowed her eyes in at her sister as Paige broke the eye contact.

Suddenly, a slight pink glow transformed into Coop as he teleported into the Mitchell household. "I'm here," he announced, taking a quick look between Prue and Andy. Neither one appeared too thrilled at the prospect of being here with him.

"Oh good. You made it," Paige commented with a touch of sarcasm. "It's about time. Now maybe you can talk some sense into them," she sighed, walking away and going to stand beside Henry.

"Forget it!" Andy declared, fully prepared to leave for good. "If you want to do marriage counseling, we can do it the normal way," he directed at Prue.

"You didn't actually just suggest normal to me, did you?" she immediately mocked the suggestion. "Because that would mean paying to sit down in front of some stranger, who knows nothing about magic. And then I'd have to listen to you blabbering on about how cruel you think the magical world is and how you hate that the big bad demons are out to get us," she cracked. "Seriously. Are you deliberately trying to get us locked up somewhere or do you honestly believe a suggestion as stupid as that would really work when it crosses your mind?!"

Paige, Henry, and Coop stood on the sidelines, listening and shooting their heads back and forth between the bickering couple.

"Wait a second here," Andy laughed, sarcasm rolling off in waves. "So sitting down and spilling a dozen or so of your secrets to a Cupid, isn't stupid? Which by the way, I don't think he'd even have enough time to sort through all of them during one session," he took the opportunity to throw that dig in at her, which only earned him another death glare before he continued on. "And then whining on about how all our marital problems come from me wanting a normal life, to this same Cupid, doesn't qualify as stupid either, huh? Well, excuse me, but last time I checked didn't myth and legend have them notorious for making love connections, not_ fixing _them?" he stressed.

Paige rolled her eyes around, looking to Coop and Henry. "Oh brother!"

"Oh, that's right. I forgot," Prue shot right back, a smug smirk of satisfaction set in place. She wasn't going to let him win this one. "Who needs a Cupid's help when there's always Susan waiting in the wings," she supplied. "Another brilliant idea."

Coop gritted his teeth, observing the two in action. Andy's glare only intensified in Prue's direction as he went right back on the defensive.

"Prue, don't start that with me again," he warned.

"Uh, guys?" Paige waved her hands up in the air, trying to break up the argument before it went any further then it had already gotten. "Can we halt the love spat for just a minute and bring your attention right over this way?"

Prue ignored both her and Andy's warning as she continued to fuel the fire.

"Start what?" she countered. "I just wanted to know if you thought whether or not she might have any useful and insightful tips to give me on that dinner date?" she retorted. "Maybe on how to deal with being married to you since, say, oh she's already been married and divorced from you once before?"

"Guys, this really isn't helping," Coop tried to intervene in an unsuccessful attempt.

"Fine. You want to start it, I'm going to finish it. How about this? There isn't going to be a dinner date with you because you're not coming."

Prue laughed. "Hold up. You're officially un-inviting me now? Right and why is that? Because two's company and three's a crowd?"

Henry, on the other-hand smirked, grabbing for the bowl of left-over popcorn. He popped some in his mouth, watching the ensuing argument continue to play itself out. He couldn't help it, but it was somewhat amusing to watch. A small laugh escaped and before he knew it, he caught both Paige and Coop giving him a hard stare.

"What?" he defended himself. "Hey, who needs the movies? We got free entertainment and popcorn right here," he cracked, lifting the bowl into the air and pointing in the squabbling couple's direction. But he was rewarded with a swat from Paige, who did not find the humor in this at all.

"Henry, this is serious. It's not funny." Paige shook her head back and forth.

"Yes it is," he countered with a laugh. His facial expression turned serious. "Paige, they're arguing over nothing. Tell me you don't see the humor behind that."

Their attention was drawn back to the argument.

"There's nothing going on between me and Susan," Andy was heard countering Prue's not so subtle accusation. "I don't know how else to get that through to you. So think whatever you want. I'm out of here."

But he didn't make it in time to leave. A loud whistle suddenly echoed throughout the entire living room, breaking up the heated debate for good. Coop had heard enough. Both Prue and Andy were silenced, turning to discover that Coop had been the one to make the interference call.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," he took a deep breath. "Now that we finally have your attention, I'm going to try and make a helpful suggestion here. Why don't the two of you take some very deep breaths, calm yourselves down, and then back away into your separate corners so we can try and find a more productive way for you guys to work this out."

Andy made a second attempt to head for the door so he could leave.

"And walking out doesn't count," Coop directed at him.

He stopped, staring hard at Prue, and then glanced around at the others standing close by in the room. They had all witnessed the explosive argument. Then opting to hear Coop out, he shook his head in defeat and walked back over, keeping a safe distance between himself and Prue.

"Of course it doesn't," he grumbled.

"Good," Coop commented when he came back.

Coop was aware of the fragile state all the sisters were still in because of the new power-base they had acquired. He had run into it during his own confrontations with Phoebe and he was sure that if this continued long enough, Andy could quite possibly have found himself on the receiving end of something very similar.

"Why bother at all?" Prue mumbled, looking at nobody in particular. She stood with her arms crossed, pacing in the small area she kept herself in.

Coop overheard the remark.

"Because I'm a Cupid and you're starting to make _love _look depressing to me," he cracked. "If that's even possible."

"Thank you," Paige sighed heavily, in complete agreement. "And that's our cue to leave." Paige was preparing to leave with Henry but before she could, he decided to take a few steps in Andy's direction to try and offer the other man what little support he could.

"Listen, man," he cracked, smirking. He was still slightly amused by the confrontation a few moments ago. He placed a supportive hand on top of Andy's shoulder. "Just try and look at this as some freaky right of passage or something like that," he suggested, since he had a pretty good idea that magic would somehow play a part in this. After all, it had for him and Paige not too long ago. And for Piper and Leo. "It happens to the best of us."

Andy didn't respond. He just listened to the words but without feeling reassured at all.

"And it wasn't my idea, man, I swear," Henry let it slip over to him through some clenched teeth and a lowered tone of voice. But Paige had caught it anyway, pulling him backwards.

"Wasn't me," Henry mouthed silently one final time, shaking his head.

"Okay, we're definitely going now," Paige nodded her head and latched onto Henry as he stepped back from Andy. She made a face at her husband. "Good luck with everything," she threw back over at Coop. "And thanks. I owe you one."

"You sure do," he nodded and smirked in her direction.

Then Paige and Henry orbed away, leaving Prue and Andy all alone to direct both their frustration and glares at Coop. He slowly turned back around to face the married couple and all their problems. Looking between both of them, he cut right to the chase.

"So. Do you guys want my help or not?"

**ooooo **

The drive back home from the doctor's office began to place Piper inside one of those comfortable, soothing states that brought her closer to the edge of sleep.

They had just left another doctor visit; however, this time they left with some good news. Everything with the baby was progressing at a normal rate. And at the moment, her thoughts momentarily reflected on the upcoming birth of her daughter, while she was still conscious enough to hear the slight pounding sound of the tires hitting against the pavement as the car continued along on its journey. However, that suddenly changed as she entered the dream state. And her body welcomed the rest. Sleep completely overtook her as her head tilted sideways, her head using the inside of the car door as head-rest. Suddenly, the dream revealed a place she didn't think she'd see again ...

**(Dream Plane) **

_It was a place she remembered being during her time away. However, this time, instead of feeling like a participant and actually being there, she felt more like an observer on the sidelines._

_It was the In-Between Realm._

_A place where the soul of her daughter-to-be was residing until her birth. And with her, there had been the little boy, Seth. Piper had concluded from the last time that Seth was in fact Prue's son, who would also be born like Melinda. But she had forgotten about this place after re-entering the mortal realm. _

_As she turned, she smiled, observing the children from a distance. They appeared to be laughing and having fun as they held hands and moved around in circles, very much in the way of the childhood game, Ring-Around-The-Rosie. But her curiosity got the better of her when her sight encountered a third face she had never seen here before. It was the presence of a second little girl._

_She carried a bright smile and long, lighter brown hair. It was a tad bit lighter in shade from Melinda's. Melinda's better matched the little boy's, a darker brown._

_Piper took forward steps in the dream. "Who are you?" she couldn't help but ask the other child present with the others._

_The children ceased their game and turned to face her. The little girl didn't speak, instead, she just flashed a warm smile in the direction of Piper. Melinda, on the other-hand, broke free from the group and ran to her mother._

_"Mommy!" she squealed, happy to see her._

_They hugged and Piper held on tight to the image of what her little girl would one day become. When they broke apart, Piper looked to Melinda to answer what she was curious to know._

_"Do you know her name?" she asked her daughter._

_Melinda nodded her head to confirm it. "But I'm not suppose to tell you," she informed her mother._

_"How come?" Piper asked, a look of widespread confusion covering her face._

_The little girl turned to the other two children, a look of concern gracing her features. Piper caught it and immediately turned her daughter's face back to meet her own._

_"Baby, what's the matter?" she pushed. "Don't look at them, look at me."_

**(Exit Dream State)**

Leo sat at the wheel, driving at a steady pace. Glancing over in Piper's direction, he quickly noted that she looked extremely exhausted. More likely due to all the compiling stress the new year had brought about in addition to the pregnancy. She began to stir and appeared to be in the middle of a restless dream.

**(Dream State)**

_Melinda swallowed nervously and looked her mother in the eyes._

_"What is it, sweetie?" Piper pushed some more. "It's okay, you can tell mommy." _

_"I can't tell you, mommy, because Seth said not to." _

_Piper noted that Melinda appeared somewhat sad, her appearance downcast, when she delivered that particular news. Piper didn't like the feeling she was getting in her gut. Even though she wasn't back in the realm in the same capacity as the last time, she could still feel something wrong gnawing at her. She turned to look at Seth, who only carried a non-readable expression on his face. _

_Melinda began backing away. "We have to go, mommy."_

_Piper got up slowly but she kept her gaze on Seth. Suddenly, a flash hit Piper full force as an image of her son, Wyatt, blotted out Seth. It was an image of her son she hoped to never encounter again. A sneer was in place, his black attire stood out more than ever, and his curly hair reached down to this shoulders. Then, just as quickly, the image was gone and replaced with Seth who had been standing there all along. _

_"No!" Piper jumped back, feeling completely startled. Was it some type of warning?_

_Then she was virtually catapulted out of her dream state._

**(End of Dream State)**

Piper jumped forward out of her sleep, literally startling Leo at the wheel.

"What's the matter, are you okay?" he asked, immediately concerned.

Before answering, Piper took in some deep breaths, desperately trying to sort out what it was she thought she had just seen.

"I don't know," she answered skeptically. "I think it was just a dream."

She didn't want to panic. It was a part of their lives they thought was over. Or so they thought. Why was she visiting an In-Between realm and dreaming about her evil son from a future they were certain they had fixed? Maybe there was just alot on her mind, she speculated. However, Leo didn't look very convinced as she tried to make herself believe it.

"Maybe it would help if you told what the dream was?" he pushed.

"Leo, forget it. It's nothing, really. It was just some weird dream," she opted on. There was no need to make him panic too when it was possibly just that. A dream.

"You sure?" he pushed again, still concerned.

"I'm sure," she reassured him. "Besides, with all the things we encounter on a daily basis, you'd think nightmares would be a more common outlet for us," she teased. "All that pretending mom told us to do as kids. To avoid them," she referred to the nightmares. "It was bound to catch up with us sometime."

Leo smirked in response. "She was just trying to protect you."

"What? You mean by keeping the truth from us?" Piper laughed. "Seriously. Think of all the times parents out there are telling their kids not to be afraid of monsters coming out of the closet because they don't really exist. Or telling them that they're not hiding under their beds. We're the ones making sure it doesn't happen."

"And you do it so well, honey," Leo passed the compliment along with another smirk.

"You better believe it, Mister," she teased him back. "Nine years of this? Unfortunately, the same thing can't be said for keeping those monsters away from our kids."

She sighed, releasing all the built-up tension. Then she closed her eyes, resting her head back against the car seat.

**ooooo**

Inside the Mitchell apartment, Prue and Andy were sitting down, both of them on completely opposite ends of the couch.

"Listen, the way this works it that you trust me," Coop tried to enlighten them. "Which means, you both need to start trusting each other."

"Really? And where do you suggest we begin?" Prue countered.

"How about with trusting him," Andy retorted, restating the point that Coop had just tried making a couple statements back. "Or weren't you listening?" There was definitely some hidden animosity spoken behind those words and Coop picked up on it.

Prue just responded with a quick roll of her eyes. Her head was leaning against her hand and her arm was being supported by the arm-rest to the couch. She was much too tired to argue again in alot of detail.

"Trust him and then trust you. Got it," she muttered. "Guess we'll be sitting here for days. Hope Paige and Henry don't mind three overnight guests."

She sure is stubborn, thought Coop. This was going to be a tough one.

"Actually, it won't even take that long," Coop cut in quickly, to avoid a second confrontation between the two. "All I need is your permission. Both of you just need to touch the ring and then believe me. The rest will work itself out," he informed them.

A bit intrigued, Prue lifted her head, staring at the ring found on Coop's finger.

"How?"

"Do you trust me?" Coop pushed. He looked between the two once again.

Prue glanced over at Andy, looking for his approval, her face carrying the same bewildered expression that his seemed to be carrying as well. Without saying anything to the other, they each nodded their silent acceptance.

"Fine," Prue relented first. "How do we do this?"

He extended his hand. "Both of you need to touch the ring at the same time," he instructed. He watched as both of them tentatively did what he told them to.

After both sets of fingers made contact with the ring, they were greeted by a red glow bursting from the ring. Instinctively, both Prue and Andy pulled away as the red mist covered their hands. A bright spark flashed on the finger that housed their wedding bands, replacing them with a bulky ring, one that almost resembled a giant-sized mood ring. Panic instantly seized both of them as they both glanced back and forth at the other's hand.

"Okay, what is that?" Prue bolted straight up from her seat on the couch. She flashed her hand in front of her, staring at what now stood in place of her wedding band. "I don't like it, get it off!" she demanded.

Andy had a similar reaction as he too stood up.

"Yeah, hey, look this really isn't what I had in mind when Paige said talk," he added. "What did you do to us?" he also demanded to know. "I can't go to work with this thing on. It stands out like a sore thumb, how would I explain it?" He laughed, disbelief shining through.

"I want this thing gone," Prue nodded her head in agreement. "First off, let me state, it's just ugly and appalling to look at," her face gave off a look of distaste. "But like Andy said. How are we going to explain them?"

Coop smiled, standing up to meet both of them face to face.

"Wow. The first thing you two agree on in twenty minutes," he commented. He paused briefly, figuring out the best way to explain. "They're just rings. I doubt anyone is going to think of them as anything more. The rings will come off on their own. But only after you two work to make them come off."

"Come again?" Andy threw back at him.

"Exactly what I said," Coop laughed lightly. "The rings are a magical representation on the state of your marriage. Let's just say that they're going to offer some real insight into what it means to walk a mile in each other's shoes," he borrowed an old, familiar proverb.

A sudden realization hit Prue as to what it was Coop seemed to be implying.

"Wait a minute," she fumed. "Have I been power-napped?" she accused him.

A look of confusion washed over Andy and he furrowed his brows.

"What does she mean by that?" he asked.

Without answering, she turned in the direction of the small beer bottle found sitting on top of the small coffee table. Waving her hand, she attempted to use her powers to move it out of place but yielded no result.

Andy thrust his hand out. "Wait, you mean ..." but he didn't finish the sentence as everyone in the room flinched and ducked as soon as the beer bottle flung itself from the table, crashing through the television screen. He stared down at his hand.

"Oops. Did I just do that?" He looked down at his hand.

"I'm completely mortal again?" Prue wanted confirmation. "How could you do this to me?" she accused, feeling rather astounded by the newest revelation. "Coop, you have to fix this!" she stressed to him rather urgently. "I can not walk around without my powers. This puts our lives in danger, all of ours. My sisters and I will be sitting ducks for the Triad."

"And, look, I'm not exactly jumping at the chance to show off my new status at work either," Andy jumped in at Coop. "I have a partner that watches my every move, stress that is piling up to here," he used his hand to help demonstrate. "And a wife that just got us into this mess!" he accused in a higher-pitched tone.

Prue laughed. "Wait! So this is my fault?" she shot at him. "I don't think so."

A bulb exploded unexpectedly from the inside of a lamp that was sitting on a small stand by the wall. Prue's jump was an involuntary reaction and she glanced between her husband and the pieces of shattered bulb found scattered across the stand. Prue chose her next words carefully.

"Uh, yeah, listen. I know we were waiting until around the time the baby was going to be born, but maybe you should seriously reconsider taking an earlier leave of absence right now? Or at least until we get this mess sorted out."

Coop stood with his hands at his sides.

"See? What if another incident like that occurs and I can't control it?" Andy argued, pointing over towards the damaged lamp.

"We can't risk that type of exposure," Prue backed him up. "You need to give me my powers back now, not later."

"Uh, sorry, that's not how it works this time," he explained to her. "Look, it's only a temporary switch," he clarified, trying to ease their fears. "The coloring inside of the rings lets you know how in balance you are. As soon as the colors match inside both, it'll signal harmony. Only you determine how long they'll be there," he made reference to the rings again. "And the sooner you learn to work it out, the sooner they'll disappear."

"But ..." Prue began to protest but Coop immediately teleported himself out.

She reached for her cell phone and began dialing.

**ooooo**

Piper and Leo shared the rest of the car ride mostly in silence.

"I really need a vacation," she mumbled. The sound of her voice was slightly muffled but Leo could still make it out anyway. "We should just pack up the kids and orb straight to the Bahamas. Tonight."

Leo grinned. "Probably not a good idea, honey."

Piper caught the traces of amusement laced inside of his tone. "Not a good idea? Since when is a vacation not a good idea for you?"

"What?" He feigned an innocent look.

"What's so funny about what I suggested?" she pushed for an answer.

He covered up the grin. "Nothing."

Piper waited but said nothing. Leo took a quick glance at her, immediately catching the stern look set in place.

"Honey, it's nothing," his grin broke back out. "It's just ... maybe we should stick to flying for awhile," he laughed nervously, turning a bit more serious on the subject. "I'd be a little worried about you trying to orb us anywhere until your powers are under control again."

"Ha! Well, consider yourself lucky," she teased in a scolding manner. "I may orb us to the wrong location but at least you'll be getting there in one piece," she started to laugh. "Can't say the same thing for poor Andy who may just find himself on the receiving end of a bomb very soon. Especially since the not-so-elusive ex decided to stick her nose back into the picture."

Piper rolled her eyes thinking about Susan Trudeau and her unexpected visit the other night. Leo took on a contemplative expression while he listened.

"Andy has an ex?" he inquired. "I didn't know."

"Yup. And, believe me, she's a real piece of work," she informed him. "Seriously, though. Of all the powers for Prue to be tapping into the most. At least Phoebe goes straight into freezing mode when she's angry or dealing with Coop," she reflected, more laughter flowing through her words.

"The four of you will get it under control," Leo reassured her. "It just takes time."

"I don't know. Time isn't really a luxury we have. And this morning, she blew the damn microwave up when Andy came into the kitchen asking about his wallet," she emphasized. "And then if that wasn't bad enough, they argued for about twenty minutes on whether or not the wallet actually went missing."

Leo was confused. "Did it?"

"Go missing?" Piper reiterated with a smirk. "That depends."

"On what?"

"On whether you believe Andy or Susan. She showed up at the manor last night with the stupid thing and practically enjoyed rubbing it in Prue's face. Andy just claims he left in on the desk but couldn't find it. Which between you and me is probably exactly what happened."

"Right," Leo acknowledged with a nod of his head, understanding where everything was leading to with the other woman around. "Let me guess. Susan's not going to back off?" He contemplated it briefly. "I'm sure they'll work it out, Piper."

"Not if Paige beats them to it," she cracked. "You know how once she butts in she just won't butt out."

Leo and Piper shared a smile and a knowing look. Then, almost as if on cue, Piper's cell phone began ringing. It was Prue's number.

"Yup, hello?" she greeted. Then she listened to the frantic tone of her sister's voice.

Leo looked over.

"Wait, slow down," she instructed. There was a pause while she listened. "Paige what?" Another pause followed. "Coop did what?" came the sudden reaction.

Piper was completely distracted. The dream and any symbolic meaning behind it was nothing more than a distant memory.

**ooooo**

The front door leading into the manor swung open.

An extremely agitated Prue was the first to enter followed by Andy, who trailed at a safe distance behind. Piper and Leo also followed behind them, but remained completely silent, expecting the reaction to come since they, themselves, had also been placed in a similiar position more than once. Piper and Leo had swung by Paige's place to pick them up, since Prue's powers were out of commission for her and Andy didn't know how to use them on demand. The four of them just barely made it into the foyer.

Prue finally let loose.

"Paige?" Prue yelled out for the youngest Halliwell. "Ooh, you are so dead!" she chanted, pitching her purse onto the floor and bringing her hands up to rest against her hips. Then she began pacing back and forth.

"Paige?!"

"Prue, take it easy. You're really not helping," Andy grumbled, feeling his own frustration for having agreed to the meeting in the first place. He shut his eyes and brought both hands up to the sides of his temples and began to rub. "Besides," he paused, gritting his teeth against the pain. "One major headache coming from you is just about all I can handle right now." He was feeling the empathic pull the power switch had caused.

Prue spun back around to confront him, her eyes narrowing.

"Well tough. Pop an aspirin like I have to. And did you just say to take it easy?" she seethed. "You're not serious. Look at us!" she complained, flashing her hand up in the air for everyone to see the big flashy ring.

Piper and Leo stood on the sidelines, trying very hard to hide their smiles and contain their amusement; however, failing miserably at it. Andy responded next by mocking her gesture and throwing up his own hand to display the matching ring.

"Oh do you mean this?" he flashed his hand at her. "I'm sorry, I guess I must have forgotten it was even there somewhere in between the time Coop zapped the damn thing on me or when you decided Cupid counseling was the reasonable answer to all our problems."

"Wait, you're back to blaming me for this?" Prue asked incredulously, throwing her hands out in the air and up in front of her. "It wasn't my idea and it's not Cupid counseling!"

"Oh no," Andy laughed, folding his arms defensively. "Then what would you call it?" His face turned serious again.

"Just counseling," she defended. "But ..." her explanation trailed off a bit. "With a Cupid and some magical assistance ... there." She realized how stupid it actually sounded when it left her mouth because she had just essentially repeated what he did, only in different words.

"Same thing," Andy's sardonic laugh followed.

She closed her eyes, shaking her head and giving in. "Alright! So it's Cupid counseling but it still wasn't my idea. Paige!" she hollered once again.

Orbs flashed before them and before them stood Paige. A big smile was plastered on her face but as she looked between the two, it quickly fell. Her eyes darted between the two, giant-sized rings found on the hands now being thrust in front of her.

"Uh, hey, is that the Elders I hear calling me? Oops, sorry, that jingle is piercing my brain again. Really need to be going now ... bye!" She tried to orb off in a hurry but was stopped by Prue.

"Oh no you don't!" Prue scolded, reaching out to grab her before she had the chance to disappear within her orbs.

Paige glanced over at Piper, looking for some type of help or rescue but all she got in return was a big smirk and a look that read ... _I told you so._

"Okay, okay," Paige lifted her arms up in defeat. "Don't have a cow, I was just trying to help you guys out. Your fighting has been driving us all crazy." She took a deep breath, offering a small smile "And it can't really be that bad, can it?" she scrunched up her face, hoping for a reprieve.

"Not that bad?" Prue laughed. "Paige, I don't have my powers anymore."

Andy addressed Paige next. "Yeah, I have them."

Paige's eyes widened. "Oh." She gritted against her teeth. "Oops."

"What happened to just talking?" she interrogated her youngest sister.

Paige had guilt written all over her face.

"Uh, yeah, that," she stammered. "I kind of lied but trust me, I only did it because you never would have agreed to it if I told you everything. Coop just happens to have a unique way of getting couples to confront their issues."

"You don't say," Andy laughed incredulously.

"Well, it worked for me," Paige shrugged her shoulders.

"And it worked for us too," Leo stressed, jumping in to assist Paige. "Only Coop wasn't our mediator. And Paige meant well, she really did. You guys are just going to have to let this play itself out."

Piper smirked at the memory. "Yeah, just be thankful it was Coop and not the soothsayer; otherwise, the two of you might have been standing there right now arguing from each other's bodies instead of over which one of you has the powers."

"Let it play out?" Prue reiterated what Leo had suggested.

Leo sighed. "Unfortunately, that's the way it works, Prue. The sooner you and Andy confront and deal with whatever is causing the separation between the two of you, the faster the magical intervention wears off. It's really to teach you both something about the other, even if it does feel like a punishment while you're experiencing it."

"Believe us, if there was any other way around it, we would have found it a long time ago," Piper added with a laugh.

Prue made a face. "Piper, this isn't funny."

Piper swallowed and then cleared her throat. "Uh, well, Prue? Actually from where I'm standing, it is." She laughed some more.

"I was tricked. I never agreed to any magical intervention," Andy cut in.

Prue shot him a look of disbelief. "Right, Andy. And that's why you reached out to touch the ring with me." She turned away, shaking her head and crossing her arms as her attention fell back on Paige.

Andy rolled his eyes in response to Prue's dig at him.

"Let me put it to you this way," Prue addressed the youngest Halliwell. "If someone here doesn't find some kind of a spell in the Book of Shadows to get this thing off me, I can personally guarantee making frequent house calls to complain so often, that even your front door will get sick of seeing me. I don't care if you have to summon a buzz saw, we are finding a way to take these rings off our fingers. Got me?"

Paige didn't even have to consider it for very long. "Right, got you. I'm on my way upstairs right now. See?" She pointed in the direction of the staircase.

Prue nodded her head with a smile. Paige began taking steps in the direction of the stairs but stopped when they were all alerted to the sound of loud pounding and Phoebe's voice calling out. The sisters shared a look.

"That's Phoebe," Piper announced as they all took off for the kitchen.

As they entered the kitchen, they were alarmed to discover Phoebe stuck inside of the laundry room, banging on the door. Piper reached for the door, unlocking it.

"Well, it's about damn time," Phoebe announced.

"You locked yourself in?" Paige announced from behind, a bit baffled on how it had happened.

"Did you see it?" the frantic question left Phoebe's mouth almost immediately. Her eyes began darting around the room as she made a quick dash to exit the kitchen.

"See what?" Prue asked, following her sister's gaze. The three sisters and the two men retreated from the kitchen, following behind her.

"We need to check on the kids," Phoebe panicked. "It's the doll. It's alive."

"What?" Piper laughed incredulously.

Prue and Paige each looked to her like she had lost her mind, while Andy and Leo shared a look of their own.

"Molly's doll, Emma. It's possessed or something," Phoebe explained in a hurry. "It locked me inside the laundry room just after I talked to Wyatt. He was saying something about it taking Molly." She was the first to reach the stairs before the doll reappeared, about to go on the attack again.

"Molly?" Andy's tone was filled with dread. He followed behind Phoebe.

Panic now gripped Prue's heart at that particular announcement. However, before they all had the chance to make it to the stairs, Piper was suddenly charged from underneath her legs. She was about to strip head-first when Leo caught her fall.

"Whoa, what the hell was that?" she yelled. Everyone turned to look.

Phoebe halted half-way up the stairs and turned to see the doll on the floor. It now held a knife in it's hand, a knife it somehow managed to obtain from the kitchen. Everyone's eyes fell on the doll and then witnessed the unbelievable sight of a plastic doll racing in and around the adults left on the first floor. Leo was the first to feel his leg get sliced as it darted under his legs next. He let out a painful wail as he reached down for the source of the pain. When he brought his hand back up, there was blood on it. He had been stabbed.

Prue's eyes widened as she witnessed the doll about to charge her next. Instinctively, she lifted her arm but quickly remembered it would do her little good.

"Someone else please?" she pleaded.

Paige reacted instantly. "Doll!" she called and it disappeared into a flurry of orbs as Paige aimed it towards the wall. It impacted it and fell to the floor.

Piper prepared herself to handle the doll next. She lifted her hands preparing to blow it to smithereens as it got off the floor. But it was quick. It got up and Piper blasted. She had missed, blowing up a small table-stand and flower pot that sat on top of it. She watched it head for the stairs and she directed her power once again at the doll. She blew a piece of the banister up instead, as both Andy and Phoebe ducked.

"Careful. We would like to keep our heads, thanks," Phoebe snidely remarked.

The doll had made it to the second floor by this time and the adults scurried into action, all of them running up the stairs like their lives depended on it. They needed to get to the kids bedroom before it was too late.

**ooooo**

Lana barely escaped the darklighter's grasp as she orbed into the manor, intent on warning the Halliwells about the plan to snatch the kids. And that the darklighter had been assuming her identity. She shimmered into what must have been the bedroom of one or more of them.

Little Chris looked up and was startled to see the stranger standing in his room. He was already scared because of what he saw happen to Molly and his brother never came back to the room either. So he got up from the floor, intent on moving away from the newcomer. Witnessing the reaction, Lana put out her hands in attempt to calm him.

"No, it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you."

However, the darklighter had traced her shimmer and within the next few moments he had orbed within the room too. Summoning his crossbow, he was preparing to aim and fire it at Lana when they were greeted by company. Piper flung the door open, eyes immediately widening when she saw who was a few inches within Chris.

"Get away from my son!" she demanded in a loud, booming voice. Instantly, she brought her hands up, preparing for the attack.

Lana's own eyes widened.

"No, wait, it's not what you think," she pleaded but it went ignored.

Piper's power hit Lana full blast and she was catapulted backwards, the wall breaking her fall. She reached across her chest, feeling the searing pain from the burn inflicted there. Piper was preparing for the final blow when Lana suddenly got distracted by the sight of the doll making its way into the bedroom and for Piper's leg.

"The doll!" she pointed and shouted.

Piper looked down. With her power, she blasted the doll straight into the wall. It shattered the plastic into tons of pieces, pieces that scattered and fell to the floor.

The others ran in.

Phoebe's anger grabbed a hold of her when she caught sight of Lana leaning against the wall. While Piper was distracted with the doll, Phoebe lifted her hands about to deliver the fatal blow to Lana, whose eyes shone with terror in her final moments. She glanced between the darklighter one last time, who sneered, and the Charmed One about to inflict her demise. And with all her focus, Phoebe tapped into Piper's power.

"No!" Lana screeched but evaporated into flames and finally nothingness.

However, with all the confusion in the room, Prue was the first to catch sight of the darklighter standing off to the side with his crossbow in hand. She quickly noted that Molly was nowhere to be found in the room. Neither was Wyatt. She watched as he aimed it at her and Paige, who had followed Prue in from behind, which meant she couldn't react and Paige didn't have enough time to react.

"Get down!" Prue shouted, shoving her sister and herself out of the way. Both of them fell to the floor. The arrow flew overhead, just missing Leo and Andy, who both ducked and were about to enter the room as well.

The darklighter immediately grabbed a hold of Chris.

"Let him go!" Piper demanded, staring him down. "He's got nothing to do with this, we're the ones you want," she bartered.

"Sorry. But I'm afraid he has everything to do with this," the darklighter laughed.

His gaze quickly averted to where the doll lay destroyed but quickly assessed that he didn't have time to retrieve the stone. Instead, he sneered one final time before offering his gratitude on Lana's vanquish.

"Thank you. We didn't need her anymore."

He laughed and Piper watched helplessly as he orbed from out of sight. At the same time, Prue and Paige looked up from the floor, each lifting themselves up.

"Chris!" Paige tried to call him to her but it was too late.

Phoebe walked over to where the doll had exploded. She caught sight of something on the floor. It was round and as she bent down to pick it up, realized it was a stone of some type. Solemnly, she turned to the others with it.

"Look," she addressed them.

Everyones eyes fell on the single stone. But worst of all, they knew their worst fears had come true. Gideon and the rest of the Triad had made a successful attempt to get their hands on the kids. They had been too late.

* * *

**To Be Continued:** The end.

**LOL ... **well of the chapter not the story. Not quite yet anyway. But stay tuned for the next chapter and I hope you liked this one. And don't forget to review so that you can let me know what you thought.


	38. When Other Worlds Collide

**Author's Note: **Hi. To start, I'd like to apologize for the long wait. It's been awhile. First there was the fire, then the move, then the computer breaking down - and even though I've had my computer back again for over a month, I just haven't felt the inspiration to write. I realize I probably lost some readers due to all that but it couldn't be helped. Hopefully, some of you will return.

First, I wanted to make my readers aware that there are revisions in some of the chapters. While writing for this new chapter, I've been re-editing again and that's what helped kick me back into gear. Those of you who decide to re-read will catch that if do. I won't go to all the trouble of republishing the story so I'll just make you aware of it here.

Secondly, I'm going to start answering any future questions through the review reply if there are any instead of posting them here. It's a time saver really and it's suppose to be done like that anyway - that's what the feature is for.

Third, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed last chapter. And welcome to those of you who are new and reviewed.

Lastly, this new chapter is definitely my longest so far. It's probably equal to two chapters in length but I couldn't break it up so I'm giving it to you in one. Hope you enjoy and that it makes up a little bit for the long time away.

**So, here we go: **

* * *

**Chapter 37: When Other Worlds Collide**

That incessant one step, two step, with a pause - one step, two step, perpetual sound pattern throbbing against her eardrums did not have its desired effect.

Prue wanted - internally begged, for it to create an adequate enough distraction so she could distance herself from the rising panic she was no doubt feeling. Instead, the rapidly increasing - not to mention annoying - sound started out like a fly buzzing somewhere in the background. It was a minor nuisance, until the continuous sound pattern of feet moving back and forth - only a mere few spaces in front of her - had erupted into something that felt like a violent thunder storm thrashing around inside her head. What she perceived as her own utter lack of uselessness was also grating on her last nerves.

_How could this be happening again? _

The thought ate away at her, repeating itself over and over like a broken record inside of Prue's mind, as she pondered the cruel odds of a universe allowing her daughter to be snatched away from her twice. Molly had now been kidnapped twice within a span of almost two years.

Shortly after the successful abductions of all three children, everyone had migrated to the attic, desperate for a solution to the current crisis. Piper had taken immediate control over the situation as she now stood in front of the podium - making an emergency list of what needed to be done to remedy what had occurred. Quickly, Prue assessed her sister's ability to effectively jump into a take-charge mode when dealing with the seriousness of such a situation. She found herself both admiring and envying Piper for it. Proud, because her younger sister had been able to step in and fill her shoes so successfully some time during her prolonged absence - perhaps, maybe even doing it better. But she also felt a sad-ness creep in with the thought that at one time that would have been her - jumping in, taking control, doing her damn hardest to put all emotion on the back-burner until they succeeded in whatever mission needed to be accomplished.

Paige was seated next to Leo, who in turn was seated on the couch with her. She had taken the opportunity to distract herself with the task of healing Leo's leg - the deep, gash wound still gushing blood after their grisly encounter with the demonic doll - all while keeping a safe distance from Prue. The visible strain shared between the oldest sister and her husband had not gone lost on anyone. Paige didn't want to become anymore a part of that strain than she already was. Prue remained seated in a chair - she hadn't said much - while Andy did the complete opposite. His own growing agitation was vividly evident in the pacing spree he was engaging in near the glass-stained windows. Conveniently, he was located further across the attic just behind Piper and away from Prue. Neither one had really said much to the other since their daughter had gone missing again. Paige momentarily felt a pang of guilt for what she perceived as possibly helping to make their problems worse rather than better. Hoping to push off another confrontation, her eyes darted around nervously - seeking another distraction.

"Potion bottles?" Paige jumped up unexpectedly, startling everyone. "Uh, we're running really low on potion bottles," she gestured towards the table with frantic movements of head and hands. She began backing away towards the door. "I'll go downstairs and see if we have anymore stocked up somewhere."

Everybody turned to stare - speechless, until Leo spoke.

"Um, Paige?" He tried to sound calm but it came out a little strained regardless. "As on edge that I'm certain we all are," he looked around the room, "I think that's the least of our worries. We really need to be able to find them first."

"Right," she agreed hastily, a small feeling of stupidity washing over her. She sighed for dramatic effect. "Well, hey, there's got to be something we can do," she flung her arms into the air. Crossing her arms, she shuffled her feet over to the podium beside Piper. "I hate feeling so darn helpless," she pouted.

"I think we all do," Piper mumbled. Her concentration returned to her current task - all her focus deeply rooted inside of reading silently from a page in the Book of Shadows.

"So, what is it?" the sound of Phoebe's strained voice broke out.

The new focus given to the mysterious stone broke through some of the tension felt by the others. However, Phoebe's own anxious body movement hadn't ceased - she bit against the tips of her nails - but Prue happily noted with relief that at least her pacing had stopped. Without very much conscious effort, Piper twirled the unusual stone around in one hand while using her other to fling through the pages. She answered her sister's question earnestly.

"I don't know, Phoebe, I still haven't found anything on it yet."

"Yeah, but it's got to be one of those stone thingies that Billie told us about before, right?" Paige inquired next. "The ones Gideon supposedly had - I mean, what else can it be? Billie thought she heard what they were called, does anybody remember what she said?" She turned her attention towards her sisters but only received blank stares in return.

"No, but if we can figure it out for ourselves, then maybe we can somehow use it to help find the kids," Phoebe readily volunteered. "It's got to harness some pretty powerful magic inside there - especially if it was able to give life to some old doll!"

Leo listened and then decided to offer up his input. "Yeah, but I'm thinking that if it was located inside the doll before it exploded - just like you think, then maybe the stone didn't just give life to the doll. Maybe it created and opened up some type of magical doorway through it. Like a portal."

Piper looked up after hearing her husband's suggestion. "To the Underworld?" she questioned, thinking about it. "Right," she stammered. "So, if that's the case, then maybe we can find a way to reopen it using the stone ourselves?" she queried.

"Maybe," Leo looked to his wife as they both shared a forlorn look. They were trying hard not to lose it. "But we need to hurry. Something tells me if they went to this extreme to get their hands on all three of them, it's more then just some trap to lure the four of you to them." He shared a look around the attic with all four Charmed Ones.

Phoebe agreed. "Right. Getting rid of us means getting rid of them too. Even with the possibility of us gone, Molly, Wyatt, and Chris still pose a threat in the future if they were around. They're the next generation."

Paige shook her head, thinking hard. The idea of using the stone bothered her. "Hey, guys, I'm really not so sure about using the stone though. Someone obviously enchanted Molly's doll with it."

"Well, it's got to be the Triad," Phoebe supplied. "Who else?"

"And the darklighter?" Paige pressed.

"Still working with them?" Phoebe suggested, shrugging her shoulders. "He's the same one that took Billie before, right? And the one that attacked you and Prue in the attic?" She thought back to the time when Prue had been shot by the poisoned arrow.

"Yeah, okay," Paige agreed; however, her worry reverted back to them using the stone. "But how do we know we'll be able to use that thing right? We can't afford to screw this up or get lost if it does open up some portal."

"I don't really know if we have much of a choice here, Paige," Piper countered, examining the stone in her hand very carefully. She understood her sister's concern but they were at a serious road-block. "We have nothing else to go with and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get them back. Even if it means taking a leap of faith. And if all it takes is using some magic of our own to open this thing back up, well, then I'm all for it. We've got plenty of that to go around."

"I agree," Leo nodded. "It's something."

Frustrated that they appeared to be getting nowhere with all the debating taking place back and forth, Andy spoke up for the first time. Both he and Prue had been quiet up until this point, him more so for the purposes of preventing himself from tapping into a power source he had no idea how to control.

"Look," he stressed, cutting into the discussion. "Can someone here please just come to an agreement on something? Anything? All these theories you've got going back and forth are really great but every second we sit around debating the right course of action is another minute that ticks away putting my daughter's life in even more danger! If this goes on much longer, I'm about to say screw it. I'll figure out a way to get down there myself."

Piper placed the stone down on the podium. Her attention went to Andy and his declaration; however, the declaration was about to turn into a marital debate. Prue had looked over at the same time and shot her husband a scornful look - a glare intent on sending him a very direct message that was both loud and clear - it just wasn't going to happen.

"Andy, could you just stop?! We need to be serious here!" Prue scoffed, her irritation from earlier in the day seeping through strongly. "This isn't a game. We're trying to find a way to get our daughter back alive, not get you killed in the process."

"Hey, I'm dead serious," he snapped back at her. "Prue, I've stood by listening to a discussion on this for the better part of an hour and none of us have gotten anywhere."

"And give us a break, will you? Sometimes it takes a little time to come up with a plan that will actually work," Prue challenged his accusation.

"I already have an idea that might work," he fired back. "It just so happens that I have your powers right now, so it's something to bargain with. We can bait them or offer a trade with me or something, I don't know, but let's do something now."

"Okay, that is so not an option," a sardonic laugh filtered through her words.

Leo tried to intervene. "Andy, it's not that simple."

"Hey, they want the powers right?" Andy folded his arms, looking between Leo and his wife as he approached her.

Prue stood up to confront him. "Yes, and you don't know how to use them!" her voiced hitched.

Phoebe rolled her eyes towards the ceiling. "Can we please not do this now?" She blew out an exasperated sigh - sharing a brief look with Piper.

"Guys, stop. This isn't getting us anywhere," Piper briefly shut her eyes - holding up her hand to try and intercede. "Can we hold off on the marital discord long enough for us to resolve this? If you can't give it a rest; give it a vacation."

Paige's brows arched. "A long one," she muttered under her breath.

Andy turned to address everyone. "Okay, so I don't know how to use them. All the better; I'm not a threat to them," he countered Prue's heated response with one of his own.

Prue felt a migraine beginning to take on a life of it's own and she didn't have the stamina left to throw him another one of her hell no rants to challenge this very flawed blunder in reasoning being unleashed on everyone. She sat back down, placing her face in her hands. Leo sighed. He could understand the other father's frustration completely and the desperation fueling him.

"Andy, you mean well, really - but it just wouldn't work," Leo attempted to reason again. "We've been at this longer and we know how the game is played. The Triad doesn't work like that. They'd kill you without a second thought and they're not going to just hand Molly back over to you - or to any of us for that matter - just because you've experienced a power switch with Prue. Gideon and the others want the Ultimate Power - which means all the girls and all their powers."

"Yup," Piper grounded out in agreement. "How very _equal opportunity _of them."

Andy threw both hands up in the air. His smile masking the sarcasm he intended to deliver through his words. "Sure. What do I know," he relented. Turning around, he made his way back towards the windows - staring outside.

The progression of Prue's migraine hit full force and suddenly she wished she had her telekinesis to move the damn thing out of her head. Concentration was virtually impossible and then it happened again. Suddenly, that annoying sound returned - penetrating straight through her senses - and she couldn't hold back any longer. Phoebe had fallen back into step with the pacing just a few feet away from her again. With closed eyes and her head facing down in the direction of the floor, she brought her hands up against her ears in another vain attempt at blocking out the sound.

"Pheebs, can you give it a rest?" Prue found herself snapping out loud, although instantly feeling guilty after the words left her mouth.

It wasn't Phoebe's fault that she now sat by on the side-lines like some useless sap - without her powers - while her daughter desperately needed magical help that she couldn't assist in giving. However - Paige, on the other-hand? Well, she had a few more choice words for her that she was struggling to hold back at the moment.

Phoebe stopped, eyes widening. "What?" she threw up her hands defensively. "Excuse me, but some of us may need to do a little more than just sitting around, okay?" she retorted. Although, she didn't mean for it to imply what it obviously did as Prue sprang to her feet. She realized the mistake in her choice of wording too late.

"Well, some of us could have been a little more prepared to deal with this problem if someone else," Prue took the opportunity to throw the dig in and glare at Paige - "knew how to mind their own business," she spat. "So excuse me if my options are just a bit more limited than yours at the moment."

Piper immediately shot her head back up as the arguing escalated once again. Andy stopped pacing and stared back and forth between the bickering sisters.

"Prue, that's not what I meant," defended Phoebe. All she had meant to get across was that they were all dealing with the stress differently. She really hadn't meant for it to come out sounding like a personal dig. "I don't want to fight."

Paige; however, immediately becoming defensive just as Prue had done seconds before, cringed - springing to her feet. "Okay, now what is that suppose to mean?" she ignored Phoebe while countering Prue's inference. "That all of this is my fault?"

"Well, gee, Paige, I don't know," Prue mocked with a heavy amount of sarcasm. She turned to face-off with the youngest sister. "You certainly aren't the one standing over there exhibiting any performance problems," she snidely remarked in reference to the use of her powers. "I think Leo can vouch for that!" She turned away from Paige, arms crossed. Her own pacing began.

Paige huffed, immediately countering Prue. "Look! I said I was sorry. What part of that didn't you get? Let's try this again. I'm sorry," she stressed for the second time in a span of a couple seconds, but even louder. "What else do you want me to say? I shouldn't have gone to Coop and interfered with your stupid marriage. Okay?"

"No, actually, I'd say everything about my stupid marriage - is pretty far from okay, wouldn't you?" came Prue's retort.

Phoebe sighed in frustration. "Prue, please. We don't need any trips down ego lane right now," she countered in defense of Paige.

"And I don't need a lecture coming from you!" Prue threw back.

Andy watched and listened in stunned amazement, completely appalled with where the priorities seemed to be. With his hands at his sides, he closed his eyes; he rolled his head back, his face - meeting the ceiling. "Unbelievable," he muttered.

Piper slammed the Book of Shadows shut. "Hey!" she shouted. "We've already been through this people - this really isn't the time. We've got alot of work to do here. Nobody's at fault here." Although heard, she went ignored.

"No, you don't need the lectures, Prue - you're just use to giving them!" Phoebe retorted over Piper's plea.

"Oh, because like you've never needed any?" Prue kept her ground. "Save it. I could stand here all day and detail the finer points of a Phoebe Halliwell I use to know but I seem to recall you were the one who just specifically pointed out no trips down - what was it? Oh right - ego lane. So why don't we both do each other a favor and drop this before one of us says something we can't take back."

"Agreed," Phoebe stressed. "So let's focus on pulling ourselves together so we can get this done. Our first concern is getting the kids back safely and then we'll worry about all the other stuff later. Molly isn't the only one gone, you know," she stressed further. "So are the boys. Or are you forgetting that?" A quick glance was thrown in Piper's direction to drive the point home.

Guilt washed over Prue. Her intention had never been to imply in the slightest that this was harder on her than it was for Piper; of course this was just as difficult for her sister. But the big difference seemed to be that Piper appeared to be doing a much better job with holding herself together as a Charmed One, a wife, and mother - while she was just falling apart. Prue didn't know whether to blame it on being out of touch with her Charmed life for so long or if the nightmare of losing Molly from the previous year was just coming back to haunt her.

"No, I haven't forgotten. But thanks for the reminder; however, unnecessary." Prue's monotone was sarcastic and she turned around and left the attic.

"Prue, don't!" Phoebe went to follow but Piper stopped her.

"No, just wait here, I'll go," she volunteered which came across more like a command rather than an offer to intercede. She made quick strides past Phoebe and out of the attic while everyone watched her depart.

Leo turned to Paige with an idea. "Paige, maybe you can go up there and check with some of the Elders? I'd do it if I could but with my powers still bound - I can't. See if they can be helpful with anything."

Paige snorted. "Doubt it. But at least it gets me out of here for a little while." In a quick flurry of orbs, she disappeared.

Scurrying off after Prue, Piper left the others behind to try and calm down as much as the situation would allow for. Everyone was highly on edge, Piper knew that - hell she was standing on the tip of the edge about to fall over. But this was just getting ridiculous. The lives of her own children were at stake and they really couldn't afford to play the blame game when they all needed to work together to save the kids. She made it down the attic stairs just in time to round the corner and find Prue walking at a steady pace.

"Prue, wait!" she called out.

Prue kept walking down the hallway. "What?" Her tone carried a stubborn hardness that came out all too naturally for her.

"Prue, I know what you're thinking, don't do this to yourself? Just because you don't have your powers doesn't mean you can't help or that you're failing Molly in some way."

Piper stopped walking and stood next to one of the bedroom doors. Both her hands snaked their way into the back pockets of her pants as she remained stationary. Shutting her eyes to fight back the tears, Prue also stopped and let out a harsh breath trying to calm herself down. She turned around, taking a few steps back in Piper's direction, coming face-to-face with her sister.

"Piper, look, I'm sorry. I hope you didn't think I was being selfish or implying that Wyatt and Chris aren't just as important in all of this ..."

Prue's apology and an attempt at a not so subtle change of subject was cut off by her sister.

"Prue, don't finish that sentence, it never even crossed my mind," she denied vehemently, her head shaking back and forth. Piper narrowed her eyes at her sister. "But nice try there. You're not getting around what I said that easily."

"Piper, there's nothing to say," Prue refuted stubbornly.

"Prue, trust me, you're just doing what any mother in your position would do in a situation like this. Phoebe and Paige will understand that one day."

"Yeah, except Phoebe and Paige aren't the ones cracking under the pressure. I may have my old life back but I feel like a far cry from what I use to be."

Piper sighed. "Prue, believe me, you're not the only one on the verge of losing it. And for the record, I was around doing this for the past five years if that happens to count for anything - which it doesn't. No amount of time predicts how you'll react when it comes to your children."

Prue let herself smile - helping to release some of the tension she was feeling just moments ago. "Oh, I don't know about that," she teased lightly, crossing her arms in front of her. "You seem to be doing pretty good with keeping your sanity in check."

"Ah, you're getting way ahead of yourself, sister," Piper threw the teasing back at her sister. She kept the seriousness alive too. "Appearances are deceiving, especially mine. Prue, it's taking all my energy up there just to keep it together for Phoebe and Paige's sake let alone mine." There was a brief pause and then a heart-felt admission. "It's a tough job, I don't know how you did it all those years," she confessed, sharing a brief bonding moment that they hadn't shared in awhile.

Prue's smile returned - an appreciative smile. With her arms crossed, she shuffled her feet and glanced in the direction of the floor. "Well, as long as both you and Phoebe were okay, I guess that's all that really mattered to me back then. Even if we were the Charmed ones."

"I didn't just mean after we found out we were witches, you know?" Piper tried to clarify - thinking back to their earlier years when they were just sisters. "But it mattered to us that you were okay too," she stressed. "Please keep that in mind the next time you think it's a good idea to make life changing decisions on your own that will effect all of us," she reminded gently. "But back to what's important now." She took in a deep breath. "A piece of sisterly advice. Phoebe's got her own worries. I'm sure you and I can take a good guess at what that is. So I wouldn't take anything she says or does too personally right about now."

Both sisters' thoughts immediately ran to Coop and the recent demise of Lana.

"And Paige?" Piper continued on quickly. "She just really needs to feel reassured that she fits in. And I don't mean just as a Charmed One. I'll admit, that's partially my fault, I had a hard time accepting her in the beginning - after you left. But when she helps, even if she screws up, she does mean to help. And she's pretty damn resourceful. If there's a way out of a mess, believe me, she'll be the one to find it. She's a lot like you in that way."

Prue narrowed her eyes playfully. "Oh, that's so not fair. Buttering me up like that?" She sighed once again, recollecting her thoughts and re-evaluating her feelings. "So now I guess I'm stuck doing the big sister thing and making nice." She rolled her eyes.

Piper smirked, holding back a laugh. "Hey, when you finally manage to suck it up, you happen to do it really well," she teased again. "And who said anything about playing fair?" Then her words turned more serious. "But we need to do this together. We're at our strongest when we're all together; powers or no powers. We'll find them and bring them back home."

Prue nodded. "Yeah." Then another faint smirk crossed her lips. "And just for the record, even without this little pep talk - I was never planning on sitting by and doing nothing. Powers or no powers."

Acknowledgement of her sister's words brought on a smile. "See, now there's the big sister I knew and loved," she joked around. "And still do." She reached out to pull her big sister in for a supportive hug. "We're going to find them," she tried to offer reassurance a second time while Prue forced on a smile for her sister's benefit, accepting the hug.

"Right, sure," Prue agreed for her sister's sake. "We're going to find them," she repeated in a gentle whisper, while hugging back. Although, she felt anything but reassured. In fact, everything just felt all wrong and she silently prayed that it wasn't too late. She placed a quick kiss, more of a peck, at the side of Piper's head in an affectionate and sisterly fashion before the two broke apart. "Let's go."

The two of them headed back upstairs to the attic to rejoin the others.

**X  
**

It was an oddly familiar sensation; dying, death.

The last thing she remembered were a horde of angry faces. Accusatory eyes flashing in her direction - although a reaction once deserved had it been bestowed on her not that very long ago. These were suppose to be good witches, the Charmed Ones. And then one angry face in particular had come into view - Phoebe Halliwell. However, before she even had the chance to try and exonerate herself, she felt it - the searing pain of the flames consuming her until she finally burst into nothing. Then she was suddenly floating away, completely prepared for her final destination.

The last and only time she could remember this experience was right after Billie had vanquished her - although the emotions hadn't really been present with her at that time. The dark void had immediately sucked her in; she had accepted it for what it was because she had been completely powerless against its grasp. At the time, she had compared it to the equivalent of flying through time and space - before finally being plunged head-first into the dark and lonely depths of the Wasteland. Her soul had managed to struggle in maintaining its survival; however, it had become easier once she had found and rejoined the others. Their combined power as the Triad and the high level of dark magic they shared allowed them the unique privilege of being able to resurrect and finally rejoin the Underworld in full physical form. However, this time, she knew she would be completely on her own. Was it sadness that accompanied her on this doomed journey the second time around? Guilt? The desire to be given another chance? These feelings of a more human nature plagued her entire being as she was pulled towards somewhere.

As Lana felt herself plummeting, she prepared herself for the inevitable sight of flowing lava in the form of small rivers - the vast expanse of dead earth blowing with the uncontrollable and unexpected gust of winds that would come out of nowhere. There were fires that would sprout up from the ground whenever they deemed fit and also present were the peaking cliffs that gave off the illusion of offering some type of hope or rescue. However, their deceptive quality didn't stop thousands of desperate demons from inching up towards the top only to discover that the walls of stone would close in on them, shifting and sending them spiraling back down into the waiting clutches of the Death Seekers below.

Death Seekers roamed beneath the hardened earth, waiting with an unfathomable hunger, to obliterate any foreign entity unfortunate enough to encounter its final end. Any demon vanquished and banished to this literal hell for eternity had the dubious honor of playing a cat and mouse game for survival. Of course, most upper-level demons stood a much better chance at remaining around longer but the struggle for survival wasn't any less of a struggle.

However, after she crash landed onto a hard surface, she slowly opened her eyes and encountered surroundings that resembled anything but the Wasteland. If Lana hadn't known any better, she would have believed she had been whisked straight back into the mortal world. Momentarily stunned, she allowed the question to cross her mind.

Where in hell was she? Was this hell?

As she pulled herself to her feet, she realized she was now standing in the middle of an apartment in the city - the sound of beeping horns and busy traffic heard from outside on the street below. It was an apartment she was sure she had never laid eyes on before. Stretched out before her, the entrance to the small kitchen was close to her. She could make out the marble counter-tops laid out in an "L" shaped pattern - the sink positioned on the side of the curve. The white-tiled flooring looked almost perfect, not a speck of dirt or dust reflecting off of it. A small kitchen table with three chairs sat off to the side not too far from the box-shaped refrigerator. Actually, no, with some back-tracking, she decided she made out two chairs. One of them looked different somehow. Smaller, almost as if it had been created for a tinier person. Suddenly, an odd feeling of familiarity washed through her while she looked around the small living space. The familiar energy saturated her with an almost homey feel; a calming presence. Deja Vu maybe? Quickly, Lana turned her attention away from the kitchen area focusing now on the small window found to the right side of her. She was standing in what she learned to call a living room - the rays of sun light streaming in through the window shades. She found herself re-evaluating her initial assumption, wondering if maybe she had been here before but just couldn't remember.

She reached her next conclusion.

_I must still be alive._

However, that assumption was killed almost instantly. Lana smirked but the relief was short-lived; her eyes widened in shock as her hands slipped through the top of the reddish-brown upholstery that made up the living room couch. Instantly panicking, she pulled her hand away and brought it up near her face for observation before making a bolt for the door leading out of the apartment - only to find that it was of no use. Her hand repeated the prior encounter, slipping through the matter composed of a doorknob. Her mind went into a complete frenzy. If she wasn't still alive, had she already begun resurrecting again? However, she quickly recalled the last time she resurrected; her spirit form had been limited to the confines of the Underworld. At least that had been the case until the resurrection had completed itself and she had her full physical form returned to her. This place didn't look like the Wasteland or the Underworld.

"There's no use in trying to understand it," a voice broke in, completely startling her, almost sounding as if it had heard her rambling thoughts. She jumped around in response to the unexpected intrusion. "You're not here because of some unvanquishable, demon status," the voice - that she now identified as a man's - informed her.

Lana was now in the company of a strange man seated on the couch, one leg crossed in a masculine fashion over the other one. "Who are you?" she demanded, trying her best to sound unafraid. "And how did you get in here, you weren't there before?"

The man gave off an intimidating air of self-confidence; a cross between cockiness and charismatic charm. "Who I am is not important," he answered, while getting up from the couch. He began walking in her direction. This caused her to take a few instinctive steps backwards so he stopped. "But what I'm about to offer you is what matters."

"Offer me?" she repeated, her facial expression contorting in disbelief. "Why would I take anything you have to offer me?" Her skepticism and mistrust were blatantly obvious to the stranger. "I don't even know you. You can be anyone. Or anything!" she spat through clenched teeth, her brows furrowing.

He chuckled in response to her misgivings about him; the shrilling sound full of sarcasm and amusement as it passed from his lips "Actually, I think we understand each other more than you can possibly imagine," he smirked. "But fair enough." He straightened himself out, preparing himself for an introduction. "I'm Cole," he nodded his head slightly, extending his hand.

A few seconds passed and she glared down at his hand - refusing to take it. Finally he pulled his hand back and folded both of them behind his back.

"Okay. Well, if you're turned off by Cole, I use to be better known as Belthazor in my demonic form."

Confusion swept across her face but her eyes reflected curiosity. "Demonic form?" she repeated. "But how ..."

Cole put up a hand to halt her inquiry. "It means that you and I share something that other demons never will," he jumped right to the point so he wouldn't get side-tracked with the current task at hand. "A soul."

"A soul?" Lana repeated.

"That's right. It's the one thing that makes us unique, gives us a second chance if you will," he hurried on with the explanation. "Unfortunately, I lost mine," his eyes reflecting a sudden distant look, a sadness that Lana picked up on - something she normally wouldn't have bothered to pay any mind to until recently in her life. "But, fortunately for you, it's not too late yet," he quickly recovered.

"I don't understand ..." Lana stammered, her head beginning to shake back and forth.

"You. Your soul is here," Cole went on to explain further, crossing his arms in front of him. "It's why you're standing here with me instead of wasting away in the Wasteland," he cracked. "Your human half is what gives you a soul, a chance at being redeemed."

"Are you telling me that you were a demon before? And a human at the same time?" Lana asked for clarification on the bits and pieces of information she was pulling together from him. Although, she was still not quite sure on what to make of him or whether or not she should believe him.

"Yes, that's what I'm saying," he confirmed. "Right now, you're standing in a middle realm of existence. A limbo. It's also referred to as a type of purgatory state. I may have lost my chance in the mortal world of ever attaining a shot at the afterlife but you still have it. The choice is yours," he laid it out on the line for her.

"Well, if it's too late for you then why are you even here?" Lana accused.

Cole could tell she was going to be a tough one to crack. "Because I can't ever enter the afterlife," his voice raised a notch, not liking this part of the story-telling. "I have mortal blood on my hands - alot of it - something that you're lucky enough not to have acquired just yet," he enforced. "You were sheltered, hidden away for a specific purpose which in a strange way offered you a reprieve. You don't have to answer for the same things I do. But make no mistake, all that can change in a heartbeat - if you allow your demonic side to control you or any of your human feelings. Revenge will only serve to stand in the way."

Lana stood perfectly still, absorbing everything he was trying to tell her. When it was clear to him that she was waiting for him to continue, Cole did just that.

"I've been appointed to remain in this realm and act as a type of guide, if you will, to lost souls such as yourself," he offered. "You're actually the first of our kind that I've been assigned to in this place so I feel like I have somewhat more of an extra personal stake here. A special task presented before me."

"A guide? Are you serious?" she challenged him.

Cole contemplated it. "Well, I'll be honest. It certainly doesn't rank anywhere up there like another chance with Phoebe would, but I figure the job's got to be better than out running Death Seekers in the bottomless pits of the Wasteland. Been there, done that," he cracked. "Any demon worth it's reputation would enjoy the challenge for awhile but for all of eternity?" He shook his head. "Nah, not really worth the risk. But you already know that." He flashed her a grin. "But I guess I stand corrected. My second chance hasn't been completely in vain; I'm standing here instead of there."

Lana mocked him by repeating the action - a grin thrown back in his direction.

"So let me get this straight," she finally spoke. "You think that by saving me, it somehow helps to resolve you - is that it?" she countered mockingly. "Sorry, but this freaky half-breed isn't looking to be anyone's next project," she spat at him, thinking back to her days with Dumain and all the training practically forced upon her until she had no choice left but to comply. "So if you'll excuse me, I don't need your kind of help. Actually, let me make it alot clearer than that. I don't want your help. Bye!"

"Alot of spirit, I like that. It should work in your favor."

Lana rolled her eyes at him, while moving to walk past him. Suppressing the strong urge to retort, she began scanning for another room located down the small hallway - desperately seeking to just escape into it somewhere and disappear. Cole moved to turn around and follow her, not phased in the slightest by her reactions or her reluctance to listen.

"Hey, like I said, I've got all of eternity to wait around. I'm not going anywhere."

"Just leave me alone!" she shouted over her shoulder, as she stalked down the hallway and finally turned into one of the rooms - a bedroom.

Amused, Cole followed closely behind, smiling the entire way.

**X  
**

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe sat at the table - scrying tools, various ingredients for potion-making, and potion bottles scattered everywhere in front of them.

The girls had begun to engage in any talk that would take their minds off of the abduction - at least until they were prepared to confront the problem head on. They wanted to avoid any further confrontations that could erupt into personal attacks born out of individual panic. Andy, on the other-hand, remained silent - standing off on the far end of the table. He had been given some scrying supplies - just for something to do - however, there was a flickering of hope that Prue's powers might surface in him enough to allow him some control and just maybe a location. He held the stone in his possession to assist him.

"Rag weed root," Piper began to read from a list as the sisters attempted to put the clutter in order.

"Got it," Prue raised it into the air.

Piper checked it off the list. "Sunflower seed?" she called out.

"Here," Phoebe repeated Prue's actions.

"Alright - lavender, caster oil, beetle juice, aloe extract, salt water and chili powder," Piper listed off as she pointed out each item laid out in front of her.

"Uh, chili powder?" Phoebe raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, most of the ingredients for the potion match up against the natural elements, you know - earth, air, fire, and water?" Prue reminded her. "Chili, spicy hot - like fire, get it?"

Phoebe looked bored with the information.

"All we're missing is the acidic compound for our - flesh," Piper passed on a look of distaste.

"Which we haven't got yet either ... " Prue reminded with a smile.

"Oh, goodie, that should be fun," Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Does the Book really say we need to get a sample of flesh from each individual member? If they're a collective, I don't see why one piece of flesh coming from one of them won't work?"

"Nope, sorry, we're not getting off that easy," Piper teased. "We're the Ultimate Power now, remember? We've moved on to bigger and badder. So, hopefully Leo can retrieve the compound from the Magic School and then the only things left are an inflated balloon and some honey dust."

"Okay, an inflated balloon?" Phoebe laughed. "That's original. So are we throwing a party for these demons or are we vanquishing them? Never mind, I get it. Helium - a gas compound - similar in an air-like quality sort of way, right?"

Prue smiled. "Very good, Phoebe. It looks like that junior year of chemistry paid off after all."

"Shut-up." Still smiling, Phoebe rolled her eyes around. "Anyway, I take it that thing will deflate in that potion mix, right, not pop and explode all over us? I mean, how big are we talking here anyway, carnival sized - birthday party style?"

"I'm thinking water balloon," Prue volunteered, "Maybe Leo won't mind going back out to get it after he gets back with Paige. If I'm not mistaken, Birthday Bash for Cash was always open until around six. Is that place still around?"

"Of course, it's still around," Phoebe's voice became playful. "I mean, we were only able to throw Piper the best surprise birthday parties ever courtesy of their party favors." She paused, rethinking it for a minute. "Well, actually, they worked out alot better for Wyatt and Chris's birthday parties. A few conjuring sessions were in order to make Piper's a little more interesting," her laughter filled the attic.

"Oh. Details, please?" Prue ordered, amused. She turned to Phoebe.

"Don't you dare!" Piper threw Phoebe a warning look.

"Hey, it couldn't have been any worse than the ones you use to throw for me," Prue referenced those yearly attempts at surprise parties she abhorred.

Phoebe broke out with more laughter. "What - anyway, it's not like you and Leo were still actually together when we conjured him."

"Who?" Prue inquired.

"Piper's dream guy," Phoebe volunteered.

"He wasn't my dream guy," Piper quickly negated, turning to Prue. "He was a convoluted mess created out of Phoebe and Paige's over-active imaginations. With a little use of magic."

"Hey, I didn't see you complaining after we managed to convince you to just jump in and take advantage," Phoebe laughed again.

"That's not the point," she released a sour laugh of her own. "See what I had to put up with after you left," Piper accused her big sister in a teasing fashion.

Prue held back a laugh. "Of course, Piper, I know. There's only one dream guy and you've already got him." She couldn't help but take a glance over at Andy when the words left her mouth, a shadow crossing over her face - the smile fading.

"That's right, you got it," Piper acknowledged. Looking up, she caught her sister's change in mood and then followed where her gaze fell. Piper inquired gently, "Hey, how's it going over there, Andy?"

"It's going," he answered dejectedly - without looking up.

Prue sighed and got up from her chair. She walked over to where Andy was seated, engaged in the middle of a task that was as foreign to him as another country she's never laid eyes on would be to her. Glancing him over, his own wariness mirrored her own. For the first time, she took in how defeated he actually appeared - sagging shoulders, lines surrounding his eyes. She regretted how they had gotten to the point where they were - barely talking and snapping irritably when they finally did have something say.

"Here," she reached out slowly, her voice softer - offering her assistance. "Let me show you."

He didn't turn to look. "Why, am I doing it wrong?"

His tone bordered on defensive to her. "Temporary truce, okay?" she offered. "Maybe if I'm doing it with you - it'll help."

Prue's strands of dark hair swayed over her shoulder as she bent slightly just a few inches in front of him. The scent of her perfume overtook his senses, a tingling energy traveling through both of their hands after they made physical contact. She was happy to note that he didn't jerk his hand away - like she half-expected to see him do. Slowly with her hand guiding his, their hands moved as one over the map.

A few moments passed by in complete silence.

"Prue?" he hesitated, finally breaking it. He stole a quick glance at her. "I ..."

"What?" her voice came out in a low, even tone.

Prue didn't look up. Andy observed that all of her concentration was poured into what they were trying to get done together. He couldn't help but smile a little. Her determination to follow things through to the very end - refusing to accept failure, had been one of the many qualities he had always loved about her. However, at this very moment, he just wished it would offer him the guarantee he sought - but finding any comfort at all was difficult.

"Nothing," her voice broke. She sighed, closing her eyes and dropping their hands - feeling completely discouraged when the scrying still didn't work.

Their hands fell to the map; however, Andy didn't let go. "I hope you understand that I would never do anything to intentionally put our daughter in harms way," he finally continued.

Prue made a face. She turned her head to look him straight in the eyes. "Of course I know that, Andy. Why would you even suggest that?"

Piper and Phoebe shared a look with each other, not meaning to eavesdrop but being so close by that they were unable to prevent overhearing the discussion. However, both instantly communicated with their eyes the same message the other was already thinking. They both got up to give Andy and Prue a little privacy. After all, there wasn't a whole lot more they could really do until Paige got back with Leo and they acquired the missing potion ingredients they would need.

"Um, listen you two?" Phoebe interrupted, addressing Prue and Andy. "We'll just be right back." She stood up from her chair, Piper mirroring the same action. "But don't rush anything on our account - talking things out is good. All the better for us - you." Her grin was wide and she dipped in closer to Piper with a whisper intended only for her to hear. "And with any luck, maybe Prue will get her powers back," she gritted out.

Piper shook her head, smirking a little bit. She gave her sister a slight nudge in the direction of the door along with her instruction. "Okay, Phoebe, go!"

Prue and Andy acknowledged the departure with small nods and waited as both sisters departed from the attic. Prue cast her gaze down at the table and smiled while Andy was the first to jump right back into the discussion. Miraculously, this was the first talk they were having in awhile that didn't break out into a yelling match with someone walking out.

"Look, Prue, I'm just trying to help bring her back - like you are," he continued. "It's just really hard being forced to stand by on the side-lines - not doing anything - when I should be doing something. I mean, I'm her father - what good am I if I can't even protect her?"

Prue released a deep breath. "Andy, you are a good father," she stressed to him. "This has nothing to do with that."

"It has everything to do with it," he negated. "Which is why I knew this lifestyle would be too difficult for me and why I tried to avoid it after I found out about you," he confessed. "A life filled with demons and never-ending magical battles - I mean, we can just be sitting here now and then boom, out of nowhere you're facing another death match or our kids become the targets or the prize during the conflict of it all. I don't know, Prue, in this world it just seems like I'm even more powerless to stop things I may not be able to stop."

Prue didn't argue his point. She just continued to listen.

"I really don't want to watch you die," he confessed. "I'd rather it be me than you."

"Well, I don't." The words came out fast; seeds of anger burning beneath them. "So let's drop this and not go there."

"I'm not afraid of dying, Prue."

"Neither am I but that's not the point," she argued.

"Well see, Prue, that's the thing. You just made my point."

"Which would be what exactly?" Her determined gaze challenged him.

"Dying. That you're all too willing to bring it to you before your time," he countered. "Especially when it comes to me and guess what? That's not okay with me. Because the difference is when I look at death and say I'd rather it be me instead of you, I still see it and accept it for what it is. Which is that everything happens for a reason. That's what I tried to explain to you when I died."

"Hold on a second," her frustration returning. "That is not the same thing and you know it. I don't bring death to me before my time," she denied. "It's my job to protect innocents and that included you. Which means my life gets put on the line each time I need to save one."

"Innocents?" her argument stunned him. It went further than that and he knew she knew it. "This isn't about innocents, Prue. What about your sisters? Be honest with me here - they're prepared to take the same risks like you as witches. Are you telling me that you wouldn't try to interfere and take their place even if it was their time? That you wouldn't try and stop it by force - possibly dying instead?"

"Yes! I would do whatever it took to make sure my sisters were safe, how could you even ask me that?!"

"And me," he stated flatly, knowing the answer. "Well I don't want you dying in my place, Prue. And what about Dr. Griffiths?" he challenged, the details that had led to their former arrangement very much alive inside the knowledge he now held. "Isn't that exactly how you got here to begin with - how we got here?" he stressed.

"He was an innocent," she fumed. "And Gideon's the reason we're where we are now so what exactly are you trying to accuse me of here?"

"No, Prue, Gideon took advantage of a situation you helped to provide him with," he retorted. "Maybe Dr. Griffiths was meant to die. You're not always meant to save everyone, Prue - not your sisters, not other innocents, and definitely not me! But I really don't think you seem to get that. Sometimes I just getting the feeling - " he paused, letting his voice trail off.

He had hit a sore spot. "You what?" she pushed, holding her anger back.

"It's just - I get the impression that you see death as something you feel you need to win against. And then you hide behind who you're protecting to do it. No matter what the consequences might be."

Reluctantly, she thought back to her own encounter with the Angel of Death as his words struck a cord deep inside her - an experience she had years ago when she was forced to confront her repressed feelings surrounding the death of her mother. Hadn't he virtually tried to express the exact same thing? She shook her head, trying to forcefully push the memory back into the dark corner it had managed to escape from.

"Wow," she didn't know what else to say in response to him. "In all this time that you've known me, do you really see me as being that selfish? That what I do, what I did in the past, it's really all about me instead of the people I'm suppose to protect?"

"Prue ... " Andy started but she cut him off.

"No, Andy, you know what - forget it," she vented. "The truth is that I don't know what to say to you anymore, I'm sick of the fighting, and obviously - you feel like you've been dragged back into this. So I'm sorry for whatever part I may have played in making that happen - directly or indirectly. But if you need to walk out the door - go. Just do it. I promise I won't stop you." She stood up abruptly. "The door is always open, the kids will always be here when you want to see them, and actually maybe it would all just be for the best."

Andy stood up and reached out to stop her. "I didn't say I was leaving."

"So, what are you saying?"

He sighed. "That I'm trying to come to terms with what I need to," he explained. "And I'm hoping that you'll do the same. But I'm not leaving."

Their eyes locked but the moment was cut short when the orbs of Paige suddenly appeared in the attic - bringing Leo along with her. Averting their attention to the two arrivals, they knew they would have to put the rest of the discussion on hold until the current problem around rescuing the kids could be resolved.

"Alright, Leo found the compound and I found some books," Paige announced happily - the sound of them slamming onto the table echoing throughout the attic. Stopping abruptly, she looked between her sister and brother-in-law catching the _deer in headlights expressions._ "And I didn't just interrupt anything, did I?" she stammered through clenched teeth - her gaze shifting back and forth between both of them.

Prue had tried to apologize earlier, attempting to reassure her that she hadn't meant to take her frustration out on Paige. Paige accepted the apology; however, the truth was that a part of her felt guilty all on its own with or without Prue laying into her. She was hoping that she hadn't disturbed an intimate moment of some kind - especially if it would help the current state of their marriage.

"Nope," Prue brushed off. "Books?" she questioned, walking over to the table. She picked one of them up from the table to scan over the cover. Opening it, she skimmed through it.

"Yup," Paige nodded. "I'm going to try looking through some of these texts on ancient magical artifacts and see if I turn up anything on our stone. It's the best the Elders were able to give me when I went up there so," she rolled her eyes, giving Prue the _you know what I mean _message. Looking around, Piper and Phoebe's absence was suddenly noticeable to her. "Hey, where's Piper and Phoebe?"

"Here," Piper announced, walking back in with Phoebe behind her. "Uh, Leo, honey?" her attention shooting straight to her husband. "Big favor? We've got one more errand if you wouldn't mind. The potion calls for an ingredient that falls in line with one of the main elements on air - so we were thinking maybe some small helium balloons? That and we're also going to need some honey dust which we definitely don't have stocked anywhere in the house. Think you can handle it?"

"Sure."

"I'll go with you," Andy volunteered, moving away from Prue. "I need to focus on doing something I can actually do for awhile or I'll drive myself crazy. "

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Leo accepted his offer to help.

Andy took a few steps to join Leo on his way out before he decided to do something else. He turned back around, re-approaching Prue. He pulled her into a light embrace, which she accepted, planting a gentle kiss on the side of her head.

"I do love you," he muttered, before pulling away.

"I love you too," she offered - a little strained, before breaking apart. "I'll be careful. I promise," she stressed when he gave her one of his looks. She watched as he and Leo exited the attic to leave.

"Okay, ladies, let's get down to business," Paige inserted. "What exactly is the plan?"

**X **

By the wall in the back area of the big school library, Billie sat on an old, aging chair made of wood that was located at a small round table with enough room for two. However, she sat alone.

She had taken some of her personal time to commit to studying and catching up on work that she had fallen extremely behind on. Luckily, she had been able to talk a few of her professors into allowing her some extra-credit assignments - using a desperate plea for sympathy that was masked behind a multitude of lies and half-truths - but she needed to make up for some of the bad grades earned from a simple scenario of just not showing up to class. The fleeting thought of becoming an actress had occurred to her while the words had flowed freely - and quite naturally - from her mouth. A ten-page term paper was due in three days and another fifteen page one was due a week from that. She silently wondered if she'd ever make it out of college at the rate she was going.

The shrill ringing of her cell phone suddenly broke into her study session, breaking her concentration, and alerting other nearby students of the intrusion; an intrusion which only earned her their disapproving glares. She had forgotten to switch the stupid thing over onto vibrate. Reaching into her blue backpack hanging over her chair, Billie quickly pulled the phone out of the bag. Rising from the chair and darting down one of the aisles - aisles housing stacks of books - she hoped to garner a little more privacy.

"Hello?" her voice almost whispered into the cell phone.

It was Phoebe and the desperation behind her voice and the nature of the current crisis, signaled to Billie that passing Psychology was definitely going to slip through her fingers this term. Damn, she hated the freaking subject with a passion and cursed herself for just not getting it over with her first semester in college. But the course was a university requirement that all students in any major were required to complete for earned credits before graduation. Her eyes widened in panic as she was filled in with the details over the phone.

"Yeah, okay, no problem. I'm on my way right now," she reassured Phoebe. "Just give me ten minutes to get back to my dorm room, if the coast is clear, have Paige orb in and grab me." She hung up.

Turning around, her anxious steps began to carry her back in the direction of her table to retrieve her books and other belongings. However, something else unexpected happened before she had the opportunity to make it back. Suddenly, the lights overhead shut off - placing the whole library into a shadowy darkness. Shocked, Billie stopped in her tracks inside the aisle she was still walking down.

"Uh oh."

The only light visible was streaming in from the window shades - rays from the hot sun found outside. Billie released a nervous intake of air, slowly resuming her cautious steps back down the aisle. It was too quiet, deathly silent, she noted - the kind of quiet that if a pin were to drop, it would probably echo for miles around. The creepy feeling continued to invade her senses. When she reached the end of the aisle, the sight that greeted her was alarming. Everything stood completely still - as if frozen in time. Students sitting at tables were frozen like Popsicle sticks in whatever position or activity they were engaged in prior to the unexplained incident.

"Uh, hello?" she shouted out - realizing it was most likely in vain. "Is there anybody here that can still hear me?"

Billie's eyes darted around. A row of book aisles positioned directly across from some tables showed one student in the middle of pulling a book out of place - giving off the illusion that it was somehow eerily suspended in air. A librarian at the main, front desk was frozen - posed with her mouth open - in mid-talk with some other student across from her. People were lined up at the copier machine, students were sitting motionless at computers but the last thing Billie noted before running to grab her stuff was the big, old clock positioned just above the library entrance - other students frozen between the metal detectors. The hands were completely frozen in place, time suspended. It was freaky; like Piper's power working in reverse - freezing time itself instead of just the people or magical beings held within that time.

"This is so not good!"

Billie grabbed her stuff, shoving books into her bag, and then finally darted for the exit - at the same time, attempting to use her cell phone in the process. Unfortunately, that decision distracted her long enough to make contact with a foot sticking out from beneath one of the square tables - where another student sat frozen in place. She completely lost her footing and toppled over onto the floor with a loud curse.

"Ouch, crap!"

Her cell phone went sliding across the same floor her whole body had just made impact with. However, from the corner of her eye, a quick shadowy figure appeared to breeze behind her - almost too quick to notice - but still enough to catch her attention through her peripheral vision. She spun her head around over her shoulder, while still sprawled out flat on her stomach.

"Hello?" she called out. Fear crept inside - into the pit of her stomach where the dancing butterflies already resided. "Who's there?" Without wasting time, she used both of her palms to quickly hoist herself back onto her feet.

Throwing the strap of her backpack over her shoulder, she spun around in a hurry - intent on leaving for good. She reached down to retrieve her cell phone; however, upon straightening herself back up she slammed straight into a figure who appeared to manifest in front of her from out of nowhere. Quickly, he grabbed her and with the other hand stifled a scream before she even had the chance to react with one. Suddenly, the power of his push thrust her backwards until her head hit the floor with a loud thud - sending Billie's backpack falling to the floor with her along with her cell phone. Everything went black as she lost all consciousness.

The figure shimmered below the surface with her - completely disappearing from sight - as time itself unfroze returning everything to normal.

**X  
**

Lana sat on a bedroom floor, huddled in a corner while she rocked back and forth, covering her ears against the disturbing noise she wished would just disappear. Cole, leaning patiently against the wall that was located just outside the bedroom in the hallway, whistled to the tune of a few songs he had picked up during his time spent in the mortal world.

"Go away!" she drawled out between gritted teeth.

Lana had been trying desperately to ignore him - to prove he couldn't have this effect on her. That she wouldn't allow his presence to have any influence on her whatsoever. But she was failing miserably at it. The whistling halted during mid-song and Cole smiled.

"Uh, just say the word whenever you're ready and we can get on with this," he baited her with heavy sarcasm. "I have all day. You on the other-hand? Not so much. It's just a matter of time before the Triad part of yourself resurrects you completely and then you won't see what I'm suppose to show you. Then it really will be too late."

"What?"

Cole had gotten the reaction he had hoped for.

"Yes, this may come as a surprise to you, but I know all about the Triad," he supplied confidently. "And their history. Which means I know about you too. Not all the specific details, of course, like Dumain's little back door deal at the time - but I did come across enough stories connected to your birth. And for what it's worth, your father didn't kill your mother.

"It isn't worth a thing to me!" She was a little unnerved by the fact that this perfect stranger seemed to know so much about her.

"Understandable. I felt the same way about father," he made another attempt to try and gain her trust. "He was human by the way. And when it came to his death - it didn't really matter to me who was responsible for it. My mother, another demon - fate," he listed off. "All I cared about was making someone pay. Looking back, allowing that to consume me was the beginning of the end."

"Stop twisting my words. I didn't know my mother or my father so I don't care either way."

"Maybe not," Cole countered. " But you do know the Triad. Which means you know that their loyalties certainly aren't with you anymore. So you can decide to sit there and I can stand here debating all of this information back and forth with you or you can help me to help you."

"To take down the rest of the Triad? Why should you care anyway?"

"I've had the honor of taking them down before," he shared with her. "By myself, actually."

He heard complete silence for a better part of a couple passing minutes until the sound of movement finally replaced it. Then to his surprise, she appeared from the bedroom into the hallway - her arms crossed defiantly while sending him a glare. He quickly composed himself, standing up straight, and plastering on a triumphant smile in place.

"Will this get you off my back long enough to make you leave?" she practically hissed at him.

"Certainly," he pacified her. "Follow me," he instructed.

He walked back down the small, slender hallway and into the living room. Lana reluctantly followed behind and watched as he preceded to pick up what was a TV remote from the small, coffee table - positioned just in front of the couch.

"What is your job anyway?" she asked. "As a guide or whatever it is you said you were?"

"To get you in touch with your humanity," he answered. "Or if you've already hit on it yourself, which I suspect you have, to keep you in touch with it."

Cole aimed the TV remote in the air. He pressed one of the buttons on it and suddenly all of their surroundings appeared to jump into a fast-forward motion - everywhere around them. It almost made her dizzy as she continued to watch it go by in such a quick flash.

"Ha, here we are," he pressed another button on the remote to make everything stop.

Everything looked practically the same except now they were greeted by the sight of a man opening the door and entering the apartment. Lana almost felt the urge to run and hide until she remembered that they couldn't be seen in limbo. The man was distracted, leafing through the mail he had retrieved before coming inside. He quickly walked into the kitchen, scanned the contents, and then discarded unwanted pieces of it onto the kitchen table. Reaching for the refrigerator door, he opened it and grabbed for a beer bottle. Lana watched as he effortlessly popped the lid with his hand against the counter-top's edge. But what bothered her was that there was something about the man that pulled her in. That strange feeling of familiarity began washing over her again. And then, just as it struck her - her attention was grabbed away by the sight and sound of a woman calling for him.

_"Richard? Good, you're home. I'm going to put Lana down for a nap while I run to the pharmacy down on the corner. Would you mind watching her for a minute? I think she's coming down with a fever."_

_"Sure," he had answered. "Whatever." He took another swig from the bottle._

The woman came from down the hallway with a baby in her arms. Her face appeared to shift and take on a sour expression after noticing his choice of beverage. However, Lana was distracted - completely taken in by the sight of the woman in front of her rather than the reactions of either participants. It was in this moment that everything fell into place. The scene playing out in front of her answered her questions on why those familiar feelings of the unknown were stirred up when she first got here. Of course, she would have been too young to remember anything but she had been here before; she had lived here before. The woman she was staring at would have been her mother had she lived. They shared the same golden-shade of honey-colored hair and the same big brown eyes. A whirl of emotions, ones she had never quite felt before, came to life as she watched the young mother interact with her child. There was a sudden, unexpected urge to run over and embrace the woman - to just cry in her arms and voice words to a feeling that she had never dared to allow herself to feel before. A feeling that told her this is the connection she had been missing out on all along. A buried feeling of belonging, being a part of something bigger that just herself - craving what she wanted for such a long time before the iron wall came crashing down to squash those human wants and desires.

A family - at one time she was actually a part of one. Her family.

"It's a powerful human emotion, isn't it?" Cole finally broke in from beside her.

Still captivated and a bit dazed from the adrenaline rush that the sudden revelation had caused, along with the sensation of a pounding heart intact - she questioned him in a distracted manner. "What is?"

"Love," he answered simply.

"Love," she parroted under her breath as she felt the feeling of loss settle over her. Her eyes watered and her heart suddenly ached for what had been lost to her - denied to her. "Right, love," she repeated as she used her forearm to wipe at her eyes, forcing herself to regain her composure. "But what does it matter now?" she stubbornly asserted, trying to push back the throbbing in her throat, caused by the sudden rush of emotion. "The past is the past. It's all over and done with!"

"It's never over," Cole countered. "We can always learn from the past."

"Are you telling me we're standing in the middle of the past?" Lana queried, hoping to distract herself with subject matter that was a little more personally detached. "That we've somehow gone to the past?"

"No," he quickly corrected her. "Time has absolutely no bearing anywhere expect in the mortal realm. Here, we don't go to the past, present, or future," he tried explaining. "We bring it to us. But we can only watch it play out. We don't have the power to influence or change the outcome of anything we see. It's not our purpose."

"Then what is?" she asked a bit annoyed.

"For you?" he addressed her head on. "To connect with the part of yourself that can ultimately save you. But to do that, you will also have to confront the part of yourself that can ultimately destroy you too," he explained. He saw the questioning look coming from her. "You'll understand what I mean in time. And it'll be your choice. It may not be an easy choice but it will be your choice - the path you decide to take."

"I know him," she turned back around, pointing in the direction of the man who was called Richard.

"I know you do," Cole answered a bit despondently. "So do I." He sighed, closing his eyes, as the admission was about to depart from his lips. "Phoebe loves him - A lot. And it's because of him that I get to see a glimpse of who Phoebe use to be. In love, happy, looking forward to the future. So I owe him that much." It came out tense, he couldn't help it, some of the jealousy was still alive and would always be there no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. A part of him would always remain selfish when it came to Phoebe. "He'll give her exactly what I tried to but couldn't do in the end; the happiness she rightfully deserves. A family. And I don't want her getting hurt in this so you better make the right decision," he admonished with a harsh edge, a bit stronger than he had originally intended.

Lana growled. "Phoebe's one of the Charmed Ones. And isn't the former love of your life," she mocked - "the reason I'm standing here right now to begin with?!" she accused.

"Phoebe serves the greater good," he quickly came to her defense. "I'm here, too, because of her but that's irrelevant. It's no less than what I deserved," he chose to take responsibility. "Do the right thing and you'll find that Phoebe is an easy ally to make."

"What if I can't make the right choice?" she voiced. She bordered on sounding like a small, vulnerable child scared of the consequences. "What if I'm too weak and give in?"

"Like I said, it won't be easy," he suddenly was back to sympathizing with the young girl standing next to him. "That struggle from within is always with us. Good and evil. Both sides are constantly waging a war with each other inside of us, battling for supremacy. "But," his tone changed, offering some light at the end of the tunnel. "If you succeed in conquering what you need to, I think you'll find you've triumphed for good. Literally."

"But how? Billie said she looked and couldn't find any potion that stripped someone from being evil - from their evil nature," argued Lana. "It's just how someone like me is born. Which means it will always be there no matter how good I try to be." There was a hint of regret and a far off gleam of sadness noticeable in her eyes.

"Hey, I'm just the middle man here," Cole attempted to lighten the mood. "I only know what gets passed on to me. But here's my last piece of advice and maybe it will help. I think it's important to remember that the true victory over evil comes from within. Powers and where they may or may not come from don't innately make you evil, Lana - it's how and what purposes you intend to use them for. The rest I would just leave in the hands of a higher power."

Lana was silent as she absorbed and contemplated everything she had heard and seen. Suddenly, the scenery shifted until the apartment was no longer their source of refuge and instead they were surrounded by a never-ending gray void of mist that appeared to take its place. To the naked eye, the empty and open space seemed to stretch out without ever stopping. A small, drafty sound mixed in with the mist as Cole scanned the area sullenly before turning to address her one final time.

"We'll, I think that's my cue to go now," he announced. "Duty calls, I can hear the cries of other lost souls roaming close by." He sighed. "It shouldn't be much longer for you. Take the time you have left to aim all your strength, all of your focus - into the right direction. Before you go back. The Ultimate Power will take care of what you can't."

Lana offered an uneasy smile.

"Bye Lana. And good luck."

Cole faded into nothing in front of Lana before she wandered off into the huge expanse of purgatory, bidding her time until her return.

**X  
**

Phoebe paced impatiently in front of the podium, waiting for an answer on the opposite end of her cell phone. However, it continued to ring - four times, five times - until voice mail finally replaced it. Prue and Piper observed her restless behavior - waiting to react. Leo and Andy were still gone, retrieving the remaining ingredients needed for a few spells the girls intended on using for back up. Finally giving up, Phoebe slammed the phone shut.

"Okay, no answer, I don't like it!" Phoebe stopped her pacing, placing both hands against her hips. "She said ten minutes, we've been waiting for over thirty. And that means we can forget the plan without her."

Prue sighed - not liking the sound of it either and getting worried about the amount of time slipping by in finding the kids - but still decided to remain calm and in control.

"Right, it doesn't sound good but why don't we wait until Paige gets back first before we jump to any conclusions, okay? Besides, I'm in some desperate need of good news today; I don't care how small," she cracked, holding onto the small glimmer of hope that there was nothing to worry about as far as Billie was concerned. Shutting her eyes, she rested her head in the palm of her hand to gather her thoughts.

"I agree," Piper volunteered. "It really wouldn't be the first time Billie showed up when she felt like it or tried to intervene on her own. Of course, we'll just kill her later if it's the latter. Speaking of which, what do you think is taking Paige so long?"

Prue's eyes shot open and she sent her sister an incredulous look. "Oh please, not you too?" she threw her sister a tired-looking half smirk.

Piper grinned. "Sorry. Worrying and assuming the worst? It's force of habit."

"Uh-huh," Prue nodded, closing her eyes again.

Just a few moments later, Paige orbed back into sight. A blue back-pack in hand, a cell phone in the other - she threw the bag to the ground. But there was no Billie.

"Okay, people, not good news. This," Paige demonstrated the cell phone - "and this," she then pointed to the discarded bag, "were the only things left of Billie. She wasn't at the dorm so I checked the library where she was when we first called her and these were dropped off at the front desk. I asked around but no one could say they saw her leave," she informed them.

Phoebe turned to Prue. "Okay, like I said before, we're screwed. So who wants to be the first one to push the panic button?"

Catching the worry bug, Prue shook her head in frustration and bolted upright. "Consider it pushed," she vented. "Alright, assuming the worst," she briefly glanced at Piper - "Billie is somewhere in the Underworld with the others. Hopefully, they're all together in the same location. We need to go right now."

"Prue, wait, unprotected ... not a good idea" Piper hesitated, not liking this new shift in plan. "If we're not going to wait for Leo and Andy to return with what we need for the other potions then maybe it should just be the three of us this time."

"Hold up, no sitting around and doing nothing, remember?" Prue made it a point to stress that sentiment back at Piper, forcing her to recall their earlier discussion together. "And we still won't have everything we need until we get some demon flesh."

"And Prue, no life-altering decisions that effects all of us, remember?" Piper reminded her. "We'll worry about getting the demon flesh if we get the opportunity - Phoebe, Paige, and I. If you go down there and get killed, that's something we won't be able to change this time - we won't be able to stop the Triad. We have to be smart on how we go about doing this and sometimes that means changing the plan."

"Piper, I will be smart about it. I'm not going to die," refuted Prue, suddenly frustrated that she appeared to be re-living the same argument she had with Andy.

"Prue, without Billie, there's no way to even perform the power-switching spell," Phoebe jumped in to back Piper up. "Hers were the most identical to yours and something tells me we're probably not going to be getting yours back from Andy any time soon."

"Hello, what's really changed here - we weren't even sure the power-switching spell would work. Just because I have magical blood doesn't necessarily mean it would have worked - there are still no powers coming from me to switch with." She paused to take a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "Look, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," she asserted strongly. "The three of you just have to make sure you handle things from your end. I'll handle things from mine."

"No way," Phoebe rejected her argument. "I still agree with Piper; it's way too dangerous and not worth the risk."

Getting angry again, Prue refuted her. "It's worth the risk for me when we're talking about my daughter's life. I stand corrected, it's actually two of my daughters now. I refuse to just sit around and wait when I could be doing something."

"No, Prue, putting yourself in the line of fire without any _fire_ power - just to prove that you can do it - is plain stupid and selfish," Phoebe was quickly becoming emotional.

Prue blanched at Phoebe's reference to being _selfish_.

"You're no good to any of us if you go and get yourself killed," her sister continued. "Then, where will Molly or Billie be, huh? And what about Andy or that baby you happen to be carrying? We have a much better chance of saving the kids without you being there and isn't that what this is suppose to be about? How are we suppose to do that when we'll be more concerned about you?"

For the first time, Paige struck up the courage to add her thoughts into the mix. "Prue, we're not trying to gang up on you or attack you. This isn't about who you are as a witch - it's about who you are as a sister - a wife, a mother. And what would happen to this family if they ever lost you again - if we lost you," she corrected to include herself in there. "Everyone here knows you could save them and would do anything in your power to save them. And that's why you're being asked to stay behind - so we can concentrate on getting them back. If you stay here at the manor and wait, it's not doing nothing. It is helping out."

Piper's eyebrows lifted in response. She was actually pretty impressed with the speech her youngest sister had given.

Maybe it was the calm and collected way that Paige delivered the message, but everyone stood silent and listened. Prue not only listened, she absorbed the context of what the youngest Halliwell was actually saying which was just the truth. She had no powers - they were already minus one as far as the Ultimate Power was concerned - so the best back-up choice would be the Power of Three. Quickly, she glanced from face to face and her defenses began to break down. They weren't really angry with her. It wasn't that they didn't need her. They were just scared. Scared to lose a sister again at the expense of a hasty judgement call - which in all likelihood - could result in getting more than one of them killed.

"You should stay behind," Piper nodded in agreement, her voice firm but calm.

Prue briefly glanced at her and then turned to Phoebe.

"Definitely. You should stay behind," she repeated, her voice lower but on the verge of cracking due to the raw emotion coarsing everywhere within her.

Prue sighed, casting a last look in Paige's direction.

Nodding her head, she reaffirmed one more time. "And I third it. You should stay behind this time," she supplied with a weak but supportive smile.

The vote was in and she had been out-voted. Her promise made to Andy not that long ago also managed to cross her mind and convict her even more. Alot of anxiety-filled anticipation was heavy in the air - so heavy it almost stifled Prue for she knew all eyes were on her waiting to see how she would decide to react. Therefore, it was of no surprise to her when she heard the heavy sighs of relief invade the space around her when she agreed to relent.

"Fine. I stay behind." She looked up to catch the reactions.

Phoebe approached her first. "Thank you," she announced happily, water shining behind her brown eyes, but the relief evident in her body language. She pulled her big sister into an appreciative hug. It had always been a small victory during the rare occasions they could get Prue to give in for her own good.

"Yeah, yeah," Prue cracked, pulling back from her. "Just don't go and get use to it. This is a one time deal," she teased.

Smiling, Piper offered her a quick hug next - followed by Paige. "Oh, we wouldn't expect anything less," Piper quipped in response.

Prue ran her hands through her hair. "Alright," she sighed. "Then I guess I'll wait for Andy and Leo to come back and start on some of the potion. And I'll keep on the lookout for Billie - just in case. You guys should hurry though. We don't know exactly what the Triad has planned and I for one just want this to be over with."

"Amen to that," Piper chimed in, sighing - reaching for the mysterious stone. "Phoebe, Paige, let's give this a try. According to this one spell I found in the Book, it should open up a portal. I altered it a bit to include the use of an object - so hopefully we can open one up with this stone, or whatever it is."

"And hopefully it takes us to the right spot," Paige added.

"Well, that's a chance we're taking," Piper pointed out. "I'm guessing the stone generated some portal that's linked to a specific location. With any luck, our spell will reopen it and take us there."

"Plus, I doubt they were expecting us to actually get our hands on it - let alone find out in was inside the doll. We should hurry because after giving it some more thought - we still don't know exactly how the darklighter plays into this," came Phoebe's input.

"Well, obviously still working for the Triad like we assumed before, what else do we really need to know," Piper responded.

"No, I'm referring to his connection with the stones," Phoebe clarified. "Maybe he infected the doll with it and more importantly, what if he has more?"

"Well, the stones certainly explain the weird powers he shouldn't have had all this time," Paige acknowledged. "But that would mean Gideon or one of the other Triad members had to give it to him?"

"Yeah, but guys, this is more of a rescue mission not a search and destroy," Prue interjected anxiously, grinding on her teeth. "If something doesn't seem right or if anything goes wrong, just promise me you'll get out of there."

"Yes, mom," Paige cracked, rolling her eyes and suppressing the urge to laugh. She reached over and picked up a limited supply of potions from the table that they already had access to and would be using for the trip.

"Also, if you happen to find her, try and make sure Billie doesn't do anything too risky or put herself in any unnecessary danger while she's down there with you," Prue added.

Piper laughed, preparing to recite the spell - with the others - over the stone.

"Oh? You mean like you?" she cracked.

Paige's laughter followed and Phoebe broke with a smile. She stood to right side of Piper while Phoebe flanked her to the left.

"Oh, and just one more thing?" Prue blurted. All three sisters looked up to face her. "Don't piss the Triad off anymore than you have to. We're definitely not ready for any surprise attacks here at the manor."

"Alrighty, Prue, you can ease up with the instructions over there. We've confronted the Triad on our own before, you know?" Paige teased. "We promise to be careful."

"Right, sorry," Prue crossed her arms.

However, before the other three sisters had the opportunity to get the spell recited, they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. All the sisters shared a questioning look with each other. Billie had her own key; therefore, she would walk right in if she needed to. It couldn't be Leo and Andy - they lived here, unless did they possibly lock themselves out? Annoyed, Piper dropped the stone into the back pocket of her pants.

"Are you kidding me? I swear, someone up there gets a kick out of watching us squirm," she started in the direction of the attic door while sharing a look with Prue - who stepped into a walk with her. Phoebe and Paige also followed.

"Perfect timing," Paige hummed on her way out as all the sisters made their way downstairs.

Phoebe and Paige waited in the background with Prue as Piper went to answer the door. Prue stood in the foyer - a few spaces closer to her sister. After opening the door, they were greeted by the last person they were expecting to see.

"Inspector Richardson?" Prue announced, feeling a bit alarmed.

"Ms. Halliwell," the Inspector nodded in her direction.

Piper glanced over her shoulder briefly, paying attention to the introduction her sister had provided. After all, she had heard enough about the man but had never confronted him personally. Phoebe and Paige were instantly on alert, making their way closer to Prue and Piper. All concern shifted to Leo, Andy, and Billie - hoping that the intrusive Inspector's presence had nothing to do with them. Piper finally turned to look back, unsure of what to make of the visit.

"Can I help you?" she inquired.

"Actually, you can," he announced cryptically, while pulling out his badge. He produced that and flashed it at her. "Are you Piper Halliwell?" he asked.

She glanced at the badge. "Uh, yes?"

Nobody expected what happened next.

The Inspector produced two pieces of paper that looked identical to the other. "Prue and Piper Halliwell, we have warrants for your arrests." He quickly nodded his consent to the two men waiting behind him, clad in uniform - officers who had accompanied him to the residence. "Read them their rights and then cuff them."

"What?" Piper's eyes bulged outward. She barely had time to react as the first officer in blue grabbed for her arms, placing them behind her back. "Uh, Prue?"

Phoebe and Paige shared shocked expressions, neither knowing how to react to the unbelievable and unexpected turn of events.

"Wait a minute, are you joking?" came Phoebe's reaction.

"What the hell are they under arrest for?" Paige demanded, her arms crossed in a defensive stance.

The Inspector ignored the questions coming from the other two sisters as he pointed out and directed the other officer in Prue's direction.

"What is this about?" Prue narrowed her eyes in at the Inspector. The second officer came at Prue and shoved her up against the banister as she too had her rights read and was cuffed from behind.

"Hey, take it easy," Phoebe scolded in response to Prue being shoved roughly. She took an instinctive step forward to intervene but was stopped by the Inspector as he placed himself squarely between her and Prue.

"I can have you brought in on a charge for interfering with an arrest," he threatened, almost enjoying it and daring her to cross that line.

"Phoebe, don't," Prue warned, giving her sister a look. Phoebe backed off but she wasn't happy about it.

"Call Murphy, see what this is all about," Piper instructed over her shoulder as she was being hauled out the front door.

"Ah, Agent Murphy," Inspector Richardson laughed. "I'd say this matter is a little out of his jurisdiction, wouldn't you? You're both being brought in on charges for negligent homicide," he announced proudly - a little too proudly they all noted. "Calling your lawyer may be the better bet, but that's just me."

Phoebe and Paige watched helplessly as Prue was hauled away next - each sending the imposing Inspector fiery death glares that they secretly wished would burn him. His choice of dress was old-fashioned and somewhat creepy, it almost made him resemble Perry Mason, the P.I. - instead of Richardson - the heavy handed Inspector. Before finally making his departure, he turned and tilted his hat.

"Ladies," came his parting remark, a self-satisfied smirk in place - filled with so much cockiness they just wanted to slap it off.

He wasn't even all the way out of the manor when Phoebe rushed up from behind, forcing the door closed - which practically shoved him outside. She turned back around, resting her body against the door, sharing a very concerned look with Paige.

**X  
**

"Hey, watch it, buddy?" Piper scolded - as both she and Prue were practically thrown into the first available holding cell. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's bad for your health to man-handle a pregnant woman?"

Prue remained observant, and as soon as the two arresting officers were out of ear shot, she leaned in closer beside her sister. "Okay," she whispered - "is it just me or does something about this entire set-up just stink?"

"Oh?" her eyebrows rising. "Do you mean like how it's even possible for a comatose woman to be involved in a negligent homicide relating to a club fire when she wasn't even awake at the time? Or did you have something else in mind?" Piper cracked.

"Piper, relax," she scolded gently against her tone. "No, I mean besides the obvious. Like, why haven't we even been booked - fingerprinted? And look around you. Where is everyone else? Every other holding cell in here is empty."

Piper threw her sister a look. "And that's not obvious to you?" Prue threw her back a look of her own but Piper cut her off before she could jump in. "Hey - Kidding, kidding," she closed her eyes briefly, shaking her head quickly. "Okay, definitely odd but not necessarily unusual. Like maybe it's just a slow day today or we're the only ones on Inspector Richardson's hit list or," her voice tapered off until she stammered the last part. "Maybe they're just on a late lunch break?" She was now staring at what caught her attention.

Prue furrowed her brows, following sister's line of sight directly to the two men seated by the large, steel-framed door - the same men responsible for bringing them here. They were engaged in passing a pint-sized carton of ice cream back and forth.

Where had the ice cream even come from?

"Well, okay, then," Prue finally commented on the scene to make her point again. "How about two officers - like _Ben & Jerry _over there - playing deputy, prison dog to two, supposedly, harmless pregnant women locked behind solid steel bars?" She attempted to shake the bars as a demonstration. "I mean, if they really don't know who we are?" she stressed, with an urgent nod, driving the point home.

"Actually, I was thinking that ice cream looks really good right about now," Piper commented.

Prue slapped her sister's arm. "Piper?" she scolded.

Slowly, Piper turned to share a knowing look with her sister.

"What?" she defended. "It does! But, right, good point." She sighed. "Great, where's Andy when you really need him?" she scowled, joking but also very serious. She allowed herself to lean back against the bars. "The more important question being, what are we going to do now?"

"If you mean how we're going to get out of here, I have an idea," offered Prue.

Piper was now resting her head against the bars. "Meaning what exactly?" she mumbled. Suddenly, she felt her sister grabbing for something inside her pocket after she had reached over. "Hey!" she bolted upright, attempting to swat her sister away with her hand until she realized what it was Prue had reached over for.

Prue was careful to make sure the stone was kept hidden out of sight as it remained balled up inside of her fist. "I remembered seeing you stuff it into your pocket before we went downstairs," she informed her sister.

It had completely slipped Piper's mind.

"Do you remember the spell you were going to recite?" Prue inquired.

"Prue, forget it, we can't," Piper objected strongly, glancing back at the two officers.

"Piper, what other choice do we have? We need to get ourselves out of here and we need to do it soon."

"Prue, we're not even sure they are demons. And if they're not, how would we explain it? And secondly, even if they are, how are we going to distract them long enough so they can't see or hear what we're trying to do?"

"It won't matter what they are if what I hope works ... _works_."

Piper followed Prue's eyes down towards her mid-section. Immediately, she knew what Prue was thinking. "Forget it, Prue. You do it!"

"Hey, you're further along than me and showing more. It'll be more believable if you do it."

"Like they're even going to care if they are demons?"

"They won't risk exposing themselves to us," Prue countered back.

"I don't know about this," Piper hesitated, still doubting the effectiveness of the plan.

"Piper, you can do it," Prue pushed. "Now, come on, give it a shot!"

Releasing a groan filled with irritation, Piper went in for clutching her stomach. Prue immediately shoved the stone back into her own pocket. Piper faked a loud wail, leaning over, and feigning an experience of deep pain."

"Ow! Oh no. Ouch, ouch."

Prue jumped in to play her role. Bending down to assist her sister in her perceived moment of agony, she shouted out for the two officers very close by. "Help! Please, we need some help over here. I think she might be going into premature labor!"

The cries had both men on their feet in an instant.

"What's going on?" one asked skeptically. After depositing a half-eaten carton of ice cream to the floor, they both reached the front of the cell watching the scene before them.

"What's going on?" his words echoed off of Prue's lips. "She needs medical attention!" she shouted at the men. "What's wrong with you, don't just stand there, go and get someone! Now!"

There was a slight moment of hesitation from the two men staring wide-eyed, on the verge of borderline panic on how exactly to handle to situation. However, the second set of cries carried an even more agonizing sound then the first ones, as Piper made it a point to hunch over more than she already was.

"Go!" the first man instructed to the second. "Go get the Inspector!"

Prue watched as the other man did as he was instructed - Piper peering out from underneath her uncomfortable position to witness his hasty departure as well. The remaining officer watched him leave but before he had the chance to turn back around and face them or move his position away from them, Piper immediately stood back up and acted.

"Ah, screw this!" she announced.

"Huh?" the one word syllable - filled with confusion - left the other man's mouth as he attempted to turn back and face them. However, Piper was much quicker and she immediately threw her hands up into the air - freezing him.

Prue gritted her teeth. "Well, one out of two wasn't so bad?!"

"Whatever," Piper rolled her eyes. "Let's just get this done before the one we did get out of here comes back."

This time Prue pulled the stone from her pocket and presented it before Piper. She reached out to touch it and both women kept physical contact with it while Piper closed her eyes to concentrate, reciting what she could remember of the spell from memory. Suddenly, a bright light burst forth from the stone and the sisters watched as a slight breeze picked up around them. It became heavier until they were finally pulled off their feet and sucked inside - the stone disappearing along with them.

**X  
**

They were tired - and scared.

Molly held onto the bars tightly, kneeling on the dirt ground and peering through, making out the group of darklighters in the distance. The children had made futile attempts at tapping into orbing; however, their efforts wasted against a contraption protected against their magic. Little Chris, the youngest, already lay curled up in a ball like a baby - fast asleep and sucking his finger.

"I want mommy," Wyatt whined, rubbing at his tired eyes. His own eyes were drooping as he fought off sleep. "I want to goes home. Don't like it heres," his toddler dribble following.

Molly's eyes darted around the dark enclosure - where very little light dwelt, except the small amount coming from the torches surrounding the cavern. The sight frightened her - it reminded her of the last time. The shadows dancing against the walls were like a mirage - allowing her to believe that they were coming to get her. The air had a funny smell to it and the ground was like hard rock, sore and uncomfortable if you sat on it for too long a time. She wanted to go home too. However, something suddenly caught her attention and she gasped - crawling away quickly on her arms and legs to where Wyatt was now sitting down.

"Ssh," her childish voice warned. "The bad man coming."

After sitting down beside him, Molly leaned into Wyatt closely, throwing her arm around him in a protective manner. Two other men dressed in black and the bad man Molly referred to, entered the cavern and approached the cage housing all three of the children. The children watched as an insidious smile crossed the man's face. He peered inside, taking his time to glance over all three of them.

"Very good," Gideon's words accompanied his smile. "I can take this from here," he informed the others with him.

The darklighter Jarad questioned him. "Um, here, my lord?"

"Yes!" Gideon almost spat. He turned to face him. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"Um, no," the darklighter stuttered. "No, my lord."

He glanced over his shoulder to the darklighter in charge - Dahilel - knowing full well that he wanted any darklighter connection to this over and done with. He glowered back at Jarad but Jarad tried to ignore it - instead returning his focus back to Gideon. Crate had remained in the background, questioning nothing at all. However, he too, had seen the looks their supervisor had thrown in their direction.

"But what of the others?" came Jarad's next inquiry.

Gideon's menacing sneer widened at the mention of his Triad colleagues. "Taking care of other matters," he informed the two darklighters beside him. "That's all that you need to know, my friends. Not that it's any concern of yours."

They watched as Gideon pulled out a box and a bag of what appeared to be the remaining Vicarian Stones. He placed the box on the ground before the cage - taking his time to also position the stones around the box.

"Now," Gideon's attention returned to Jarad. "All that remains is the last stone. Give it to me and our business is over. You can go."

Jarad swallowed nervously. This was the part of the story he dreaded having to report back and he had hoped to avoid it - as crazy as the idea seemed to be. He had returned the others except the one from inside the doll - pretending to hold onto it for himself. Gideon was about to inquire about his hesitation when they were all suddenly alerted to a disturbance coming from the main quarters inhabited by the other darklighters.

Gideon, Jarad, and Crate all turned in the same direction to face the cause of it.

**X **

"What do you mean he arrested them?" Andy demanded.

He was furious with the news. Granted, he knew he never liked his new partner and he long suspected there was something darker and more sinister lying beneath him but Andy's mind kept running in circles. What was he getting out of all this?

"Andy, we don't know anymore than you do," Paige reiterated. "He showed up, arrested them, and took them out of here. Just like we said."

Leo was pacing across the living room - where everyone had gathered to after the two men had returned home, only to learn of the disturbing news. Phoebe had removed herself to the kitchen - attempting for a third time to get into contact with Agent Murphy. Paige did her best to update the others - trying to figure out a way out of the mess they found themselves in. Andy, wanting answers, went to grab for his jacket.

"Well, I'm going down there to find out," he spat. "Richardson told me the investigation into the club fire was closed - that it was ruled out as accidental. There's got to more going on here," he concluded.

"I agree," Leo joined back into the discussion. "But we're going to need to think of another way to get them out of this if we can't do it the normal way - a legal way."

"Well, can't you guys come up with something from your end if it comes to that?" Andy looked between Paige and Leo.

"We can try," Paige shrugged, sounding less than confident. "We've gotten Piper out of jail before, I'm sure it could work again."

"Still can't get him," Phoebe's voice made its way to the others as she came back into the living room. "I must have been transferred at least five times while some secretary gave me the run around," she reported. "You know, I can't believe it. Any other time he's available - he makes surprise visits to our house; he calls and needs a favor from us for god knows what out of the blue. It looks like we're on our own for now."

Paige sighed. "Great, looks like we're onto plan B."

Andy made his move for the door. "Well, good luck with it. I'm going to the precinct. I'll let you know what's going on when I get there."

"No, Andy, wait," Phoebe stopped him. "I've actually got a little plan of my own," she announced, as the rest of them to turned to her anxiously. Looking up to the ceiling, she shouted out. "Coop?"

"Huh?" Paige watched her - dumbfounded.

The small group waited. Finally, the sight of a pink flash signaled Coop's answer as he teleported into the manor. He located the source of the call which happened to be Phoebe; however, as he took a quick look around the room, he noticed the despondent looks staring him down. Quickly, he brought his attention back to Phoebe - already knowing what to ask.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything," she answered him. "Coop, listen to me. This is a big emergency; one of the biggest. We can't wait - you need to reverse whatever it is you did and give Prue her powers back."

Coop began to protest. "Phoebe, I can't ..."

"No, Coop, you don't understand," Phoebe cut him off. "The kids have been taken by the Triad and we need the Ultimate Power to deal with this. Prue needs her powers; this is a matter of life or death."

Andy locked his gaze with Coop. With the news, Coop suddenly felt bad that he couldn't do something to help the situation.

"Phoebe, it's not that I don't want to - I literally can't. What I did can't be reversed, it's out of my hands now."

Running her hands through her hair, her agitation caught fire. "Great! Well, that's just great because Prue and Piper are sitting in a jail cell right now. We don't have the Ultimate Power to defeat the Triad and the kids have been missing for hours now since around the time your demon niece," she spat the word like it burned her tongue, "tried to kill them."

"What?" Coop questioned defensively, crossing his arms.

Phoebe was prepared for the confrontation - to tell him the truth. She had vanquished Lana, sending her to the depths of the Wasteland. Although a part of her knew that this wasn't the time or the place - it had still slipped out and she was vaguely aware that Coop had picked up on the meaning behind her words. However, instead of a confrontation, something entirely different greeted her as Coop and her surroundings seemed to completely freeze.

"Coop?"

Phoebe spun herself around to meet the eyes of a very confused Paige. She, like Phoebe, were both unfrozen; however, they discovered that both Leo and Andy were in the same predicament as Coop. All three men stood in place - appearing completely lifeless. The feeling was eerie, for while it seemed similar to Piper's freezing power on the surface, it was also different. One look at the grandfather clock showed the sisters that time wasn't just frozen; it had stopped all together.

"Uh-oh. This can't be good," Paige voiced, cautiously looking around them. "What the hell is going on?"

"Good question," Phoebe rushed to join Paige's side. "But we can't just stand here. Come on," she pulled her sister along as they both went in search for a source of the unexplained phenomena.

"Uh, go where?" Paige hesitated as she followed.

The sisters left through the foyer, cautiously making their way into the dining room. When nothing seemed amiss, they turned in the direction of the conservatory. That's when it happened fast. In a quick flash, three figures materialized - shooting up from the conservatory floor. Phoebe and Paige entered the area just in time to witness it happen. With widened eyes and shocked expressions, they came to face the one evil they knew they were still unprepared to defeat. Three satisfied smirks met their own reactions.

"Ah," Phoebe looked to her sister. "There's our answer now," she acknowledged sarcastically.

Paige didn't even bother to respond - instead she thought to react. They weren't anywhere near ready for this confrontation alone and she knew it. Grabbing onto her sister's arm, she attempted to orb out. However, it immediately failed as soon as the Triad member standing at the lead pulled his hand down through the air - mimicking the appearance of pulling them down from the air without touching them. They both landed flat on their bottoms - with a hard thud.

"Oh yeah," Paige finally remarked snidely, both of them getting up from the floor. "A perfect ending to a perfect day."

"Please don't say ending," Phoebe cracked. "I want a happy ending."

"So, we meet again," the FIRST Triad remarked snidely. "I'm Asmodeus."

"Okay," shrugged Paige, baiting him. "And I'm Paige. What is this - Demon Ethics 101?"

"No. We just thought we'd give you the courtesy of knowing who it was - when you met your final end," the SECOND Triad spat, throwing up his hands unexpectedly.

Using what clearly appeared to be Prue's form of telekinesis, the Triad member aimed at Phoebe and hit her full force - lifting and throwing her through the air. Paige, barely having time to react, watched in horror as her sister was instantly catapulted across the room and flung straight through the glass windows. Shattering glass sounded and fell everywhere.

"Phoebe!" Paige shouted.

"I'm Candor," he mocked with pride.

All three Triad members proceeded to lift their hands towards Paige, which caused her to instinctively react. While she orbed out of sight, this time successfully - the power being directed at her had ricocheted off the wall; the explosion causing the destruction of the wall while sending the pieces and splinters of material flying everywhere. The surrounding plants caught on fire. Paige orbed outside of the manor onto the lawn, kneeling beside Phoebe's broken and unconscious body.

"Oh god, please be okay," she pleaded, grabbing a hold of Phoebe and orbing out again.

**X**

Prue and Piper felt helpless. Like seeds being spit out from the center of a fruit, both sisters were thrown and deposited in the center of an occupied cavern. A loud, crashing noise of the tables breaking could be heard as both Prue and Piper landed on them. Their unplanned arrival had grabbed the attention of the occupants - both of them realizing they were about to encounter an immediate confrontation.

"Oh! Ow!" Their simultaneous grunts and groans could be heard as Prue and Piper rolled around in the debris, both struggling to their feet as fast as they could.

"Darklighters," Piper gritted, as she and Prue looked up. "Oh joy."

The group started to encircle and then close in on them.

"Uh, hey there. Sorry to just crash the party like that," Piper cracked, hoping to distract them long enough to think of something. But there was nowhere for them to run; they were trapped. "We're in big trouble," she clenched her teeth - addressing Prue.

"Well, we sure do know how to make an entrance."

Piper backed up until she met a stone wall, Prue retracting the same way. "That's the last time we bust out of the joint using one of your ideas."

"Uh, Piper, focus," Prue instructed, scanning the crowd of darklighters.

"Witches!" one of them shouted. "Take a wrong turn somewhere?" he sneered. His mocking helped to stir laughter amongst the others.

"Here goes nothing!" Piper exclaimed.

Flinging up her hands, Piper began aiming at the crowd of darklighters. Explosions and flaming darklighters resulted from her attempts, causing enough damage to maim just not kill. Prue scanned the area with her eyes until they fell upon an entrance into a much smaller cavern hidden within this bigger one - her thoughts clearly running with the possibility that the kids could be inside there, just inches away from them. Hopefully, the stone had taken them to the right location and that's where they were.

"Piper, there!" she pointed.

Piper glanced over to see what Prue was looking at, immediately understanding what her sister was thinking. "Got'cha. Go!" she nodded.

The sisters took advantage of the chaos and confusion and darted around the huge group. The darklighter in charge, Dahilel, remained in the background when he noticed who the intruders were. Quickly, he thought of himself and orbed out - along with a few other darklighters who had the sense of mind to do the same exact thing. As they came to the entrance of the smaller cave, Prue and Piper were greeted by the sight of a former Elder they both despised. However, more importantly, Prue's hunch had been correct. Located in the cage behind him, were all three children. Prue overheard Gideon questioning the darklighter about the last stone just as she and Piper made their way inside to confront them.

"You mean this?" Prue shouted out loud, walking in. She held out the stone in full view.

Gideon and the other two darklighters turned to face them. Prue and Piper met Gideon's heated glare head on when he understood what was in their possession. The momentary satisfaction that was felt by them was replaced with the growing anger directed at the newest Triad member - the former Elder responsible for most of their misery and hardship.

"You idiot!" Gideon seethed at the darklighter, Jarad.

"That's not the name I had in mind," Piper retorted against him, her icy stare fixated on the man who was now responsible for taking her son away twice. "But it'll do. Why couldn't you just stay dead?"

Gideon sneered. "Ah, yes. But then you wouldn't have your sister back, now would you?" he nodded in Prue's direction. "After all, it was I who knew where to find her. And I hope the reunion was everything you hoped for and more because it wasn't meant to last long."

"The only thing you had in mind was playing God," Prue shot back at him, a glare full of accusation hitting him. "So you can spare us all the greater good rhetoric."

"The greater good no longer concerns me!"

"Interesting way of remembering things," spat Piper. "I don't think it ever concerned you. I want my sons back right now," she demanded, clenching her teeth.

"Hm, alone are we?" he mocked, noticing the absence of the other two sisters. "I take it you are, other-wise you wouldn't even bother to ask. You'd act. Or could it be that you're still a certain power short?" Out of nowhere, Gideon produced what appeared to be a scroll.

Prue and Piper's eyes widened when they realized what they were looking at - the missing incantation to the Ultimate Power. The Triad did have it! How had they gotten it?

"I wouldn't be too sure about that!" Prue challenged.

"Give it to me!" Gideon demanded in a harsh tone, eyeing the stone in her hand.

"Give them to us!" Piper countered, nodding her head in the direction of the children.

"You're in no position to bargain or make threats!" he shouted.

Molly noticed her mother almost immediately and moved. "Mommy!" she cried out, her small hands flying to the bars on the cage again.

Distracted, Prue and Piper looked behind the Elder - demon. Prue instinctively took steps forward but was stopped by Piper.

"So be it." Gideon had no intention of giving into them.

Prue was suddenly aware that there was no sign of Billie anywhere. It worried her; however, how Gideon reacted worried her even more. His facial reaction darkened even more, if that was possible - and he began to chant in another language. With his arms raised in the air, the sisters watched as more stones, centered around a box, began to glow furiously.

"Prue?" the worry in her sister's voice saying everything.

_"Intuso muskamos indi et confie la dux. De Erast fucho wu fama gesteria. Tre dech mis pyai resutanquo piere."_

The words flew from his mouth. Everyone watched as the opening to the box in the center flew open. A green mist exited from inside, lifting into the air - filtrating it. Gideon accepted he was taking a chance without the last stone to full-fill the ritual; however, the chant continued on anyway. The two sisters weren't even suppose to be here; the others were suppose to be taking care of the situation. Both Prue and Piper were at a loss on how to handle the dilemma they now found themselves in.

_"Era les prako quela puncho des rewra. Duce mundo che fue tunqe mes ra ito triq entero se huy."_

Suddenly, a heavy wind picked up blowing hair in every direction. Both sisters had to put their arms up to be able to see anything. The green mist traveled over to the cage and surrounded the three children, now huddled closely together. At the same time, a second stream of green mist had gone in the direction of the sisters which they noticed circling around them. The two darklighters, glancing around themselves nervously, made an impromptu decision to orb out before they were caught in something they couldn't get out from.

"What is that?" Prue shouted through the mayhem.

Piper thought she recognized the box, but wasn't sure. "It looks like Pandora's Box."

Before they had time to react to anything else, a huge bolt of green flashed everywhere in the cavern - blinding everyone. In the blink of an eye - Prue, Piper, and the children were snatched, transformed into energy, carried and deposited into the box. However, a few seconds later, the same light carried an exchange of energy from the box. With another flash of green, bright, lightening - the energy reformed back into seven people.

The lid to the box slammed shut.

* * *

**To Be Continued ... **

**Thanks for reading and sorry about the long wait. Hopefully, that made up for it and don't forget to push that button and review. It helps to inspire and motivate a writer (*hint*) LOL. **


	39. Time In A Box

**A/N:** Hi everybody.

Let me just offer a quick thanks to those of you who did review for the last chapter. I really appreciated the feedback - it's been awhile. You all know who you are and I hope you and others will continue to read and review.

So, without further delay, the next chapter:

* * *

**Chapter 38: Time In A Box**

Time Warp. _A distortion - a twist or bend in time._

Gideon's assumptions mirrored that conclusion. Immediately, he moved away into the background to shield himself deep within the shadows - just about as fast as the confused stares of the new faces surrounding him met each other head on. The ritual - which had combined the use of the Vicarian Stones with powerful dark magic seconds ago - had somehow turned Pandora's Box into an artificial time machine.

As seven pairs of eyes registered shock, the scattered group cautiously picked themselves up from the ground - brushing the dust off of their articles of clothing. Amongst the bigger group, there were three young adults who ranged across the age spectrum of their twenties - and they were completely baffled on how they ended up in the Underworld together; however, most of them were comfortable within the presence of each other. However, also found within this group, an older woman with long, flowing, gray hair immediately took notice of the very confused and frightened young girl still sitting down on the ground. Immediately identifying her, she bent down in an attempt to try and keep her calm - after all, the young girl would not understand any of this. The attractive blonde female in the group, with crystal blue eyes, remained in the background - watching the teenager with interest. For some reason, the young girl looked oddly familiar to her. All stares, including hers, darted around the enclosure, meeting those of the others. The other two young adults, also in their twenties, had landed across the cavern - staring across the way.

These visitors were living proof - proof of a future that was still to come and part of a past that had already gone by. However, just as quickly as all of them had arrived to their unexpected destination, everybody was instantly put on alert because of the new threat greeting them inside the cavern. A future version of Chris, Molly, and Melinda - who were all huddled in the small group together - spun around to confront the impending intrusion.

"Darklighters?!" Future Chris cried out. "Okay, what the hell are they doing here?"

"What are _they _doing here?" Future Molly parroted almost incredulously. "What the hell are _we_ doing here?" she cracked.

"Uh, hello? The shield you two! Please?" Future Melinda broke in, pleading with them. "Let's save all the _hows_ and _whys_ for later!"

With a bunch of crossbows pointing at them in the air, an entire stream of arrows were aimed and then released in their direction. Future Chris, Molly, and Melinda joined hands - creating a horizontal line, a linear chain - as a glowing, blue bubble sprang out to cover the small group that was gathered together. A throng of darklighters had descended upon them moments ago and Gideon had taken full advantage of the distraction - stepping forward quickly to reclaim Pandora's Box and the Vicarian Stones.

"I got it!" Future Melinda called out. "Duck!" she shouted out a warning.

As Future Melinda broke out of the chain, the bubble-shield faded away while both Future Chris and Future Molly ducked down to avoid any contact with the deadly poisoned arrows still flying directly at them. Kneeling down against the ground, they both held out their hands as they called out - sending arrows flying back at their nemesis. The older woman was also kneeling on the ground, cradling closely to her, the frightened young girl with them. The teenager was covering her ears and screaming loudly - trying to pull away amidst all the chaos that had erupted everywhere around her. Meanwhile, as Future Melinda aimed her hands at the gigantic crowd hovering around them, she sent powerful electric bolts shooting out from her hands, electrocuting random darklighters who were located at various angles.

However, suddenly, a huge blue mist with a dark purple tint shot over the crowd of darklighters from the opposite side - covering all of them - which caused orbing explosions. One by one, each darklighter lit up in a light blue hue and immediately exploded - leaving the other two occupants across the cavern, who had appeared with the others, in full view. The younger woman who was responsible for the power blast could be seen lowering her arms back at her sides. However, it was the person to the left of her, who caught the attention of everyone.

"You!" Future Chris accused with a glare.

For a split second, Gideon was convinced that the death glare - shooting from the angry face of the new arrival across the small cavern - was intended for him. That was until he noticed the presence of Future Chris' intended target and it caught both his immediate attention and interest. Standing almost directly across from the gathered group of new arrivals, stood the dark presence of someone he never expected to encounter in his own lifetime.

An evil version of Future Wyatt.

The evil sneer immediately flashed across the face of the blonde-haired man clad in black leather jeans and a matching black-colored shirt. The clicking sound coming from his boots - kicking up the dusty sand particles that stained the shiny exterior - could be heard as he made slow, confident steps across the hardened ground in the direction of the others. His hair fell in tight curls to a length that rested comfortably against the tops of his shoulders. Abruptly, he ceased all movement - standing in place.

"Well, well, little brother," the mocking tone of Future Wyatt traveled to the ears of everyone in the presence of Gideon. "We meet again. And so soon." More steps resumed. "Unexpectedly, of course," he made it a point to look around at their surroundings, his hands placed firmly behind his back. "By the way, Bianca sends her best," he baited the young man only inches away from him. "From the grave!"

"You son of a b ..." Future Chris attempted to charge at his older brother.

Future Wyatt laughed insidiously at the out of control and rash reaction he had managed to maneuver out of his baby brother.

"No, Chris, don't!" the hand of Future Melinda Halliwell, their baby sister, immediately found its way to her brother's arm - pulling at him, holding him back to prevent a dangerous confrontation. "You'll only be giving him what he wants!"

"Don't give him the satisfaction, Chris," Future Molly backed up her cousin's warning, sending Future Wyatt a stone cold glare of her own. "Don't let him win; it's not worth it!"

The laughing ceased and a dark glare replaced the condescending smile that had once shone with such ferocity on the face of an evil version of Future Wyatt - a version the Charmed Ones believed had been put into a permanent resting state. Forever. All of his focus was now on Future Molly.

"Actually, Molly, I think I may consider you the biggest disappointment of them all," he threw back at the petite blonde. "Chris, well," he glared at his brother to stress the point, "his inferiority complex no doubt feeds his need to play superhero and save the day. Makes him pathetic in an almost admirable way," he spat. "And Melinda?" He smirked in her direction. "Well, I think she was just always too much like Mom for her own good. But you," he accused, staring back at Molly pointedly. "I think you of all people should have known better. I expected a little more loyalty from you. To understand the consequences hidden behind a so-called greater good - to understand the necessity behind what it is I've done? The deception of a greater good that doesn't do its job in protecting what it claims to be good?"

The intensity of the stare coming from her big, bright, blue eyes didn't waver - but behind the look of anger, a wave of pity and pain flashed through Future Molly. "You only succeeded in deceiving yourself, Wyatt," she voiced with sadness, to a cousin she truly believed to be lost forever. "You've completely turned your back on your heritage - on us."

"You turned your back on _ME_!" he countered heatedly. "I gave you the chance, _all_ of you the chance, to stand at my side," his eyes scanned the other five standing closely together, landing on the three his words were intended to reach - Future Chris, Molly, and Melinda. "We would have been unstoppable."

"No, Wyatt," Future Chris countered back defiantly. "We would have killed who we are. We would have been damned for all of eternity. Just like you."

"Those of us standing here who are actually damned or not - is still to be determined, baby brother," Future Wyatt countered back, sneering at Future Chris and the others. "And right about now, I'd say the odds are definitely not in your favor."

Future Molly's sad eyes took a quick glance at the young woman who stood beside Future Wyatt. "Sarah?" she pleaded.

The young woman, Sarah, refused to meet Future Molly's pleading stare. Her dark brown of her wavy hair fell past her shoulders - shining with the life her eyes should have held but no longer did. Instead, the dead gaze she now carried created an almost robotic stance - all her movements stiffly executed without much show of human emotion. Those eyes with the blank stare were now cast down towards the ground, as she refused to acknowledge the future version of Molly Halliwell.

"Sarah, please? Think about what it is you're doing?" she tried again.

Future Wyatt narrowed his eyes. "Sarah knows exactly what it is that she is doing," he retorted strongly. "As do the others. Which is helping to make things the way that they should be - the way they should have been from the very beginning."

"And what way would that be?" Future Chris countered back just as heatedly. "Betraying everything that our family ever stood for? Becoming the one thing that our destiny was designed to overcome? You know, the worst part of all this, Wyatt - is that you can't even see any of this for what it really is. At least all of those demons who do your bidding don't hide behind anything than what they really are. But you? There's nothing more dangerous than the true nature of evil trying to hide behind the greater good."

Future Wyatt began clapping - mockingly. "Very nice speech, little brother. Truly inspiring."

"I'm glad you think so," Future Melinda took the opportunity to shoot at her oldest brother. "Because once this is over - there's nowhere for you to go!"

"Touching," Future Wyatt remarked snidely. "But save those heart-felt lectures of yours about the afterlife for someone who actually cares."

"Make no mistake, Wyatt," Future Chris countered in a firm but solemn manner. "Someone will eventually take you down."

"Ah, subtle threats. You want me little brother, here I am?" Future Wyatt threw his arms out, trying to instigate a confrontation, as he stood with the same taunting smile set firmly in place. "Just you and me." He turned and signaled for Sarah to back away and she did as he asked. When he saw no immediate response coming from Future Chris, he gestured with his hand to signal him to make a move for it. "Well?! What are you waiting for?" he mocked.

"I don't want to fight you."

"Oh, but please, don't chicken out now," Future Wyatt returned.

"I don't want to fight you unless I have to," Future Chris elaborated. "But I refuse to fight you just to prove that I can."

Future Wyatt snorted - still intent on mocking him. "And that's why you'll never win, baby brother," he sneered. "And it's why the love of your life now lies six feet under."

Finally giving into the taunting, Future Chris made a move with his arms as Future Wyatt prepared himself for battle.

"STOP!"

The angry command - coming from the older woman who had been on the ground - suddenly broke the heated confrontation as all eyes turned to meet the older woman who was now on her feet. However, nobody had expected to find this elderly woman with the long, flowing, gray hair in their presence. Throughout most of the initial confusion and chaos that was born out of their arrival, the woman had gone almost completely unnoticed - all of their focus put into thwarting the enemy and saving their lives. Glancing back and forth between them, the woman met the eyes of her sons.

**X**

It had been one of the fastest thinking get-aways Paige had ever maneuvered during her entire time as a Charmed One.

After a quick escape from the Manor in order to allude the clutches of the Triad, Paige had orbed a badly injured Phoebe - along with herself, to the secluded area of a church basement. Churches, by nature, were suppose to be sanctified - which usually meant that evil could not enter unless otherwise invited through some other way. Fearing that the Triad might try and track them down at one of the other residences, Paige remained clear of those places and settled here. It was the same church that her parents had brought her to so very long ago. The place where she had been brought to Sister Agnus - when she was merely a newborn to begin her new life as Paige Matthews, instead of Paige Halliwell. Of course, she realized some time ago that it was extremely silly to fret about a last name because - in the end - she would always be a Halliwell by blood; however, something about not sharing the name in common with her other sisters created a small amount of emotional distance.

"Phoebe, can you hear me?" Paige pleaded with her unconscious sister.

There was no response.

Paige bent down to listen. She was extremely overjoyed to note that she could make out faint intakes and releases of air. "Hold on."

Placing her hands over the various gash wounds and bruises, Paige allowed the familiar healing energy to flow through her hands. Anxiously, she watched as every mark faded until there was nothing left - not even blood stains.

"Okay, Pheebs, please wake up!"

When Phoebe started to wake back up, Paige sighed in evident relief.

"Thank god."

"Where are we?" Phoebe muttered as Paige helped her back on her feet.

"Somewhere safe. For now," Paige informed her.

After noticing the streams of long tables accompanied by folding chairs scattered across the expanse of hard flooring - tables and chairs that were used for those late night ladies bingo meetings during the week - Phoebe's eyes finally met with the crucifix that was nailed onto a wall in a far back corner. There were also a number of statues erected in honor of various religious figures - however, the Virgin mother and the baby Jesus being the most distinguishable. It was no longer a mystery to Phoebe as to where it was they were.

"Are we in a church?" she asked Paige for confirmation.

"Yeah. After the attack, I didn't think it was such a great idea to go to either of our places," Paige explained. "Who knows if they would have tried to follow us there. I mean, at the very least, I figure this gives us a little time."

Phoebe sighed. "To what? Prolong our deaths?" she cracked. "Okay, um - " she brought her hands up to the sides of her head to think. "We need to get to Prue and Piper. I just hope the Triad hasn't gotten to them first."

"Well, not to point out the obvious or anything, but how to you suggest we do that?" Paige shrugged her shoulders in the air. "I mean, short of a miracle, we risk me orbing us right into the jail and exposing magic. I don't see how we can."

"How about orbing them out?" Phoebe suggested. "Like you did with Piper the last time?"

"Uh, not happening without the spell."

"Well, think," Phoebe pushed. "You have to remember something from it. We'll improvise if we have to."

"Uh, well, sorry but I don't remember it. It's not like I use it everyday."

"Then we have to chance going back to the Manor," Phoebe concluded. "We need to get to the Book of Shadows - there's no other way."

"Maybe we can try the spell to call for a lost witch?"

Phoebe thought about the suggestion. "They're not really lost. We know where they are but, hey, I'll try anything at this point."

"I still think Richardson has something to do with all this," Paige voiced her opinion on the matter again - while pacing and trying to gather her rambling thoughts in order. "There's no way it's a coincidence that he just happened to show up and arrest them right before the Triad attacks. What if they were trying to separate us on purpose?"

"Maybe," Phoebe offered. "I suppose anything's possible but we're not going to know anything for sure until we get back. We'll fix it."

"Oh, and wonderful. I almost forgot but we left the guys behind," Paige remembered regrettably. "I hope they're okay."

"I do too but it didn't look like the Triad was too concerned about them," Phoebe reasoned. "They showed up for us. The guys should be fine."

"Okie dokie," Paige sighed.

"Come on though, let's get out of here before someone finds us trespassing and we have more problems than just our demon variety kind to deal with."

Paige's face lit up. "Hey, that's it!" she announced.

"What's it?"

"Our way in." Paige plastered on a proud grin.

Phoebe threw her a blank stare. "Okay, Paige, you lost me."

"Our way in with Prue and Piper. Duh," Paige teased. "It's a _mortal way _in," she stressed for her sister. "We're trespassing on private property. We'll let them find us, refuse to leave, and then they'll have the police arrest us. They'll lock us up with them and when no one's looking - I'll orb us all out of there. Wha-la! No exposure of magic."

"Forget it. I do not want an arrest record, Paige."

Paige snorted. "Hey, it's not like Prue and Piper don't already have one," she passed on the inside joke.

"Yeah, well, be that as it may, let's go." Phoebe began walking towards her sister. "I still say the Book of Shadows is our best bet."

"Fine," Paige begrudgingly relented. "It was just an idea because I think we're kind of screwed each and every way you look at it."

Phoebe and Paige were about to make their move to leave when they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

"Go! Get us out of here!" Phoebe rushed her sister.

However, it was too late - Paige hesitated the minute she saw the other woman. A nun, clothed in traditional black and white attire, walked inside just a split second before the two sisters attempted to orb out of sight. With a questioning look gracing her features, she completed a random check of the basement room until her eyes landed directly on the two strangers a few feet away from her. Honestly, she could have sworn that she had heard the voices in here moments before entering and she had been correct.

"Excuse me?" the nun addressed them sternly. "But I'm afraid you are trespassing."

Phoebe and Paige shared a look before turning back to confront the nun.

**X **

"Mom?" Future Chris mumbled, disbelief saturating his tone.

Future Melinda stepped forward from the background, joining Future Chris, now standing at the lead. Her eyes instantly watered over at the sight of the woman who now stood before them. It couldn't be? Could it?

"Oh my god," Future Melinda breathed. "Mom."

Future Piper stared back at her grown children - her own angry look also filled with much sadness - a sadness mirroring what Future Chris, Future Melinda, and Future Molly were all feeling. The bittersweet encounter created an intense energy that lingered in the air between everyone.

Future Melinda rushed forward, immediately embracing her mother - a mother she once believed to be lost to her forever. "Mom," the flow of her voice carried with it alot of heavy emotion, while she held onto the other woman tightly - the mother she had been missing for some time now. "You're here; We thought you were dead!"

They both held on to each other for a few more seconds and then reluctantly let go - drawing apart.

"That's enough!" Future Piper's stern voice wavered. "What's wrong with you?" her angry tone was directed at both her sons; however, her angry gaze fell on her eldest. "After I left, is this how our family legacy has been honored? After everything your father and I worked so hard to pass onto you, to teach you - what your aunts and I struggled to overcome? This is what we have to show for?" Her face contorted with pain.

Future Chris, Future Molly, and Future Melinda all cast their gaze downwards - almost ashamed at what their life had become. Ashamed - because even if it wasn't directly their fault, their life had still caused a woman they all loved and held dear pain regardless. There was a brief moment of weakness that appeared to flash through Wyatt as he too looked down, refusing to meet his mother's intense stare - refusing to endure the painful look of a woman he forced himself to forget so very long ago. He swallowed, shrugging off the words that had triggered such a small emotional response. All evidence of any emotion, no matter how little - passed away. His hard glare met hers with force.

"You do understand, _Mom_," Future Wyatt almost spat the word out like fire, "that just because I refuse to kill you, does not mean you aren't already dead to me!"

However, before anything else could transpire, another interruption broke into the moment as Gideon took advantage once again. Thrusting out his hands, a powerful gust of wind shot through the air, lifting everyone else off of their feet - flinging them into the air and back onto the ground again. Future Wyatt and Sarah flung in one direction while Future Piper and the others went in the opposite way. While everyone tried to recover from the shock, Gideon stepped forward and spoke out.

"Sorry to interrupt this very touching scene but I do need to be going now. I'm tempted to stay and finish you off myself but I have a feeling you'll do a much better job of that yourselves," he sneered, glancing between Evil Future Wyatt and the others. "But I'll be back," he nodded in Future Wyatt's direction.

Despite his confident reaction, Gideon felt anything but confident. The truth was - Pandora's Box had created a situation he hadn't been expecting nor planning for. His best chance was to retreat and meet back up with the others. Hopefully, things had gone better on their end. Everyone watched as Gideon shimmered and vanished beneath the surface.

"Yes, we'll be leaving too!" Future Wyatt's voice grabbed their attention from across the cavern. They watched as he and Sarah lifted themselves back up first. "But don't worry. We'll be seeing you real soon!" he smirked. "All of you." His stare landed on Future Piper and the young girl who was also with them. Then the others watched as the two of them disappeared amidst their black and purple-tinted orbs.

"Gideon?" Future Molly questioned, while getting back up from the ground. "Isn't he suppose to be dead?" She brushed her hands together - relinquishing the dirt from them.

"Great!" Future Chris shook his head, snickering at the inevitability of their magical existence. "This was suppose to be my one day off. Go figure." He turned to address Future Molly. "And it looks like somebody obviously wasn't patrolling and doing their job like they were suppose to otherwise we would have been onto this!"

"Uh, excuse me?" Future Molly countered. "But poofing into oblivion in the middle of patroling the Underground doesn't exactly count as not doing my job! Besides, where were you? You were suppose to be taking a lunch break not a day off!"

"Hey, if you had a day like I was having?" he cracked.

"Chris, we all have the days you have. Remember?" Future Molly narrowed her eyes at him - rolling them.

"Please stop the arguing," Future Melinda intervened, stepping in between them. The bantering was harmless - and predictable - but they still had alot to figure out. "This isn't the time nor place and besides, I think this goes way beyond something Wyatt had up his sleeve. He looked just as surprised as we were to be here."

However, the brief reunion was suddenly cut short my the muffled cries coming from that same dark-haired young girl still found sitting on the ground. The youngest of the group, the teen-aged girl around seventeen years of age with long raven hair, kept her distance on the hardened ground - a ground composed mostly of dirt and gravel. With big, round eyes widened in shock and full of fear, she used her arms and feet to drag herself across the ground in a state of panic - backing up against the cave wall.

Everyone stared down at the scene.

**X**

A strange feeling came rushing over the three men who were left standing in the living room of the Halliwell Manor - as they turned to look at each other. The clock chimed eight times indicating to everyone in the room exactly what time it was. Andy, Leo, and Coop broke their stares as reality began to settle back in for them; however, Coop was the first one to break the silence and ask the inevitable question on everyone's mind.

"Hey, where did Phoebe go? I was just in the middle of talking to her."

Coop began turning his head around in every direction trying to locate his missing fiance. Andy and Leo repeated his actions as Coop shared another confused look with the two men.

Andy furrowed his brows. "And wasn't Paige just here a second ago too?"

Leo reached the worst conclusion first. "Uh-oh."

His arms were folded across his chest; however, Leo dropped them at this sides as soon as he left the living room in immediate search of the two sisters. Andy and Coop both moved to follow in his footsteps as the feeling of dread picked back up inside of them too. When there was no sign of them anywhere inside the kitchen or dining room, all three men made it into the conservatory - one following closely behind the other. Each set of eyes took in the destruction spewed everywhere before them. Shards of glass had scattered everywhere - resulting from the broken windows in front of them. Coop squatted down amidst the rubble - picking up and examining the charred remains of pottery life, once thriving from the sunlight but now extinct, along with some melted toys that use to occupy the space in the room. Coop looked up to meet the expectant looks from the other two.

"Just like I thought," Leo sighed in response. He ran his hand over scorch marks - while surveying the torn and damaged wall. "The Triad was here."

"The Triad?" Coop questioned. "How could we not have known?"

"My best guess would be that they know how to suspend time in some way," Leo supplied what he could for them. "I almost remember having the same feeling after coming out from one of Piper's time freezes."

"I think he's right," Andy agreed. "I don't know if you guys caught it but the clock read the same exact time it was when the girls were still standing with us," he informed them. "Just before it chimed," he added. "It's almost like time just stopped all together."

"I don't think any other demon caused this much destruction on their own. Look at all this show of power?" Leo nodded around at all the extensive damage. "It had to be the Triad."

Coop stood back up and Andy walked around Coop to examine what his keen detective eye had caught from the background. He stopped by the broken window. Bending down, he ran his finger through the small pool of thick, dark liquid.

"Andy, what is it?" Leo asked with concern.

Andy lifted his finger to demonstrate. "Blood."

"Oh just great. Where are they?" Coop voiced. All concern for Phoebe's safety took precedent over everything as the worry was now swarming throughout every crevice in his body. No longer did he care about the argument he and Phoebe were having just moments before she vanished.

"One of them might just be injured?" Leo tried to offer some reassurance. "They're not lying here hurt or unconscious - so that's a good sign. And Paige can heal."

"Yeah, but not herself," Coop added solemnly. "And if she's badly hurt that means she's in no condition to heal Phoebe either."

Standing back up, Andy took strides back to rejoin the others. "If they're not here, where did they go?" he inquired.

"Maybe they went back to one of their places."

"Or they've been taken?" Coop countered.

"We don't know anything for sure yet," Leo supplied back. "But we should split up to make sure. Andy, you're still going to go to the police station so you can find out about Prue and Piper, right?" he addressed the Inspector.

"Yeah, on my way right now," he answered.

"Good. And Coop, maybe you can check Paige's apartment and Phoebe's place to see if you can find them and make sure they're okay. Me, I'll stay here and wait. Just in case they show back up," Leo finished.

"Yeah, sure," Coop agreed, preparing to teleport himself out.

"We can all meet back here and figure out what to do next," Leo added.

Coop nodded his head and then faded away - his power of teleportation taking him to Phoebe's place first. His next stop would be Paige's apartment if he couldn't find them there. Leo and Andy shared one last forlorn look around the room before they too departed from it. Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst, Andy headed for the door.

"I'll call as soon as I get there," he informed Leo - who stood a few feet in back of him.

As Andy opened the front door and prepared to leave, he was greeted by the sight of someone who was preparing to knock on the door. In his haste, he almost crashed into her. Internally, Andy cursed the timing and the situation. These visits were becoming a bit too frequent for his liking and he reluctantly realized that he had helped to encourage them without meaning to - Andy accepted that he'd have to handle it later because Paige had probably been right that day in the station which meant Prue was too. Susan was most likely reading more into their reunion than he was. He really didn't want to be rude but he just didn't have the time to deal with it.

"Susan?" he sighed. "Sorry but right now just isn't a good time."

He rushed past her - leaving her to stare at his retreating back.

**X**

Billie felt herself slipping back into consciousness as the blurry outline of hard rock came back into focus above her. However, what she hadn't been expecting to feel was the other warm body pressed up on the side - right next to her. A few muffled groaning sounds escaped from her throat while one of her hands came to rest against her forehead.

"Help!" The low and scratchy sound barely made it's way out. "Any ... " her voice continued to break up. "Anybody there?"

Turning onto her side, the sight that greeted her caused her to momentarily consider the possibility that she was hallucinating. The male form she was looking at lay completely sprawled out next to her - breathing but still unconscious.

"JD?" her voice called out.

Billie began pushing against him, hoping to break him out from his slumber. How had they gotten here? Slowly, the memory of being abducted from inside of the campus library returned and the panic settled inside - growing even more.

"JD, come on, I need you to wake up!"

She pushed harder. However, as hard as she tried, her efforts were for nothing. JD remained unconscious - without any sign or response signaling to her that he would be waking up soon. Glancing around quickly, Billie slowly brought herself to stand while observing the strange surroundings. It was definitely someplace she had never seen before. Unlike the dark, gloomy atmosphere that most of the Underworld was notorious for - this area had a little more color. Billie thought it odd - the small cavern looked like it had been transformed into a small room. The living quarters almost appeared to resemble a library from the Magic School - with the ground beneath them covered in a red carpeting while a large black rack rose up into the air with books lining every row. A funky-looking chandelier, made from a multitude of crystals, created it's own intimidating atmosphere - the threatening aura casting it's glow from above as it hung from the ceiling of the cavern looming over everyone or anything that walked beneath it. Couches for sitting were positioned against the cavern walls - the only evidence remaining that they were still in the Underworld being the charcoal walls that still lined the entire perimeter. A huge long rectangular table sat in the middle of the room holding an array of contents foreign to Billie's awareness.

"Weird," she mumbled. "There's got to be a way out of here."

Billie made a rash decision to investigate further; however, upon taking a few steps and attempting to walk out of the small, circular enclosure found inside the small cavern - she literally received the shock of her life. The entrance into the enclosure was sealed off by an invisible force-field that she was unaware of and Billie was instantly flung backwards after making contact. Quickly, she realized that they were being held prisoner inside of it.

"Of course. Why would it be that easy?" She crawled back over to JD and tried to shake him awake once again. "JD, wake up! Listen to me. I need you to wake up so you can tell me how you got here. Who brought you here?"

"He got here the same way you did!" a new voice interrupted. "By me!"

Billie jumped and then spun around, immediately placing herself on guard. Lifting herself to her feet a second time, she prepared for the confrontation.

"You look surprised?" the voice of the stranger queried. "Hm. Not exactly who you were expecting I presume?"

"And who exactly would you be?" Billie interrogated.

The man standing before her wore black attire - a common color scheme for any average demon; however, there was something about the presence of this stranger that screamed to Billie that he was more than just your average demon. It was all in the manner he carried himself and in the way he spoke with her - confident, calm, cool, and collected.

"Well," a smirk coming from the stranger appeared. "You can just call me Richard. And I'll call you Billie. Besides, Richard is easier for you to remember and it is the pseudonym I've taken on for myself in the mortal world."

"Richard?"

"Yes, Richard. And I'll just get straight down to business, Billie," he continued. "We have a little business to attend to - you and I. So I'll make this explanation simple. You're really of no concern to me. Neither are the Charmed Ones nor their business with the Triad. You help me get what I need and you and your friend there are free to go."

"You're joking!" Billie snorted. "I'm suppose to take the word of a demon?"

The smirk coming from Richard widened. "Well, let me put it to you this way. What other choice do you really have?"

Billie glanced at JD's still unconscious form laying near to her. "If he's not a part of your _business_, then what is he doing here?" she asked him.

"Oh, well, he's my insurance, of course. A little incentive for you - just to make sure you don't have any second thoughts and that you'll stick to doing what you agreed to. If you agree to," he smiled, making a pretense at correcting his assumption. "See, after you agree to my little arrangement, I'll be letting you go to complete it. But he'll be staying behind."

"No way! Forget it!" Billie protested.

"Oh, but you haven't even heard my proposition yet?" he pretended to sound offended. "You know," Richard nodded towards the unconscious whitelighter, "he was really rather easy to deceive. All I had to do was set him up with one of his charges and the rest was a piece of cake. He orbs in thinking one of his charges is in trouble - only to find out it's really you."

"What do you mean?" Billie cringed.

"What I mean is that he traded his life for his charge's so that he could get to you," Richard informed her. "I kidnapped one of his charges and brought her back to some abandoned factories located near the bay area. She did my bidding of course, " he paused for a quick laugh. "Mortals. They're so easy to manipulate - all that pent up fear." He sighed. "In exchange for her life, she called out for him and after he orbed to the scene - I gave him an ultimatum. Either he came with me or it would be you who suffered the consequences. By paying with your life."

Billie huffed. "You're a bastard."

Richard sneered. "Yes, I know. I'm a demon, remember?" he mocked.

"What do you want?"

"For a demon, you know that's a loaded question," he took his time in getting to the point - enjoying the prospect of toying with her some more. "I want many things. For instance, I'd like power. Power is always a good thing - I would like to see other demons throughout the Underworld cowering before me. I'd want vengeance," he continued to list off. "To be avenged against those who wrongfully banished me into a solitary existence. But for now, I'd settle for you bringing me Lana."

Billie felt the shock waves pass through her system. "Lana?"

"Yes, Lana," he confirmed.

"Sorry, but I don't know who that is," Billie lied.

His impatience growing, Richard let it show for the first time. "Don't play games with me, Miss Jenkins," he reprimanded. "You know exactly who I'm talking about."

"I swear I don't know her!" Billie protested some more - calling his bluff.

"Okay," he relented to her stubborn-ness; however, not giving in. He walked over to the huge table with various items spread across it. After shuffling through the big mess, he retrieved what he had been in search of. Throwing it pass the invisible shield, Billie bent down to pick it up. "Perhaps those will refresh your memory a little bit better."

Billie's round eyes responded as they widened in clear surprise. In her hands, were the same photographs that Inspector Richardson had used during his interrogation with her at the station not that very long ago. How did this demon have them too?

"Does the San Francisco Bay Hotel ring any bells?" Richard mocked. "How about the demonic killing of both your parents - a killing accredited to my fellow brethren," he sneered. "That girl in the picture with you is the same one you went searching for over a year ago - the same one you also believed to be your dead sister. Christy was it?" he played dumb.

Billie's silence filled the air around them.

"The pictures are my own handy work," he volunteered. "I've been seeking Lana out for a long time now ever since Dumain double-crossed me. He hid her from me. I only succeeded in finding her again after she re-entered the mortal world as Christy. Rumors began flying around at the time about the Triad's plan to lure the Ultimate Power so they could destroy the Charmed Ones. A power they had believed to be you. I've just been waiting around for the right time to make my move, that's all."

"What could you possibly want with her?" she inquired. "And Dumain? I don't understand." Billie was struggling to make the connection.

"Dumain and I had plans to over-throw the Triad," he shared with her. "A long time ago. He was the one who brought Lana to me with the idea. After he had her mother killed," he added solemnly. "The idea was for us to become them ourselves - to take over," he elaborated. "He said he knew who the Ultimate Power would be one day. So he remained with Lana in the mortal world and hid until we could figure out a way to covet that power for ourselves and then use it to destroy the Triad. But he ended up delivering Lana to the Triad and must have come up with the plan to take your sister to help them instead."

Slowly, Billie began putting some of the pieces of the conversation together and in doing so - began to draw some pretty shocking conclusions. "Wait, back up, before you said _fellow brethren_," she pointed out to him. "You said that your fellow brethren were the ones responsible for the death of my parents. It was the Triad - they were behind it. Are you another Triad?"

"I was a Triad," he confirmed at last. "Before I was banished from the collective by the rest of them - along with Zar. My real name is Marco."

A heavy sigh escaped from Billie, her chest heeving due to the truth coming from these revelations. "Oh my god," she muttered. "So that must mean, if you were a Triad before and you obviously know so much about Lana - then you must be ... " the thought was cut off by Richard who provided the final piece to the puzzle.

"Yes, Billie. I am Lana's father."

**X**

Andy pushed open the door leading back into the precinct with such force that it practically swung back into place with a loud bang. He had gotten to the office some time ago only to find Richardson not there and after a little investigating of his own - he had gone on a quick break to grab a coffee. He had really wanted to get downstairs to the holding cells but didn't want to draw any unwanted suspicion to himself. While heading back in the direction of his office - the same office he shared with Inspector Richardson - he barrelled through the throngs of people scattered around him being careful not to spill the coffee everywhere. However, as he came closer to his office, he could now make out the frame of the other Inspector - a man he loathed - before entering. However, he soon realized that Richardson had not been alone as he stepped aside - allowing two officers to exit the room. One of the officers, convinced he had just experienced a blackout while on duty at the holding cells, shook his head on his way out the door. The other one appeared dazed and confused. After their departure, Andy entered - slamming the office door shut behind him and immediately turning to chew out his partner.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded to know.

"My job, Inspector," Richardson informed Andy in a calm and collected manner. "Something you might want to consider doing."

"Don't give me that!" Andy accused. "We both know exactly what I'm talking about here - you arrested my wife and her sister without cause. Stop playing games, I want to know what the hell your real problem is and I want to know right now."

Andy got a violent reaction.

"You want to know what my problem is?" Richardson shot up from his chair, banging his hand onto his desk. "I don't like you - and I don't like them!" he added.

Andy smirked. "It's not a good enough reason. You're holding them without due process. It's a civil right's violation and you know it."

"No, they're being detained under suspicion of negligent homicide," Richardson asserted.

"Detained? They haven't even been booked!" Andy shot back. "I checked."

"We are going to book them," Richardson countered. "The system was down," he smirked, supplying an alibi that would most likely fly in a court of law. "We read them their _Miranda rights_ and they didn't ask for a lawyer. Not even a phone call. Everything was done by the book, Inspector. So, now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do here," he mocked the man before him.

"There is no negligent homicide case from that club fire. You know it and I know it," Andy spat at the other Inspector. "But I'll get to the bottom of what's really going on here - you can count on that," he threatened.

Inspector Richardson sat back down at his desk - doing his best to ignore Andy's presence. Fully realizing that he wasn't going to get anywhere else with the man, Andy turned to leave. After waiting a few minutes, Richardson looked up and then reached over for the phone on his desk - dialing a number. When it became apparent that no one was going to pick up from the other end, he left a voice-mail for the recipient.

"Hey! Where the hell are you, Richard?! We've got a big problem. I divided them up and held onto them to keep them out of the way just like you wanted but they're missing now. I need to know if you had anything to do with it because I don't know how much longer I can keep this going. Do you know what I sounded like trying to explain their sudden absence to my men? Listen, I better hear back from you by tomorrow."

After he was finished, Richardson slammed the phone back onto the receiver.

**X**

The front doors to the precinct swung open once again - this time with two officers hauling in the forms of Phoebe Halliwell and Paige Matthews.

Andy was just coming out of the office as he made out the two women, hands cuffed behind their backs, protesting and arguing with the arresting officers. They were drawing alot of attention but the first feeling that washed over him was huge relief. Both women looked completely unharmed which was some good news for a change.

"I'm telling you this is all just a big misunderstanding," Phoebe tried pleading with one of the officers. "We weren't trespassing - we just got lost."

A flirty laugh left Paige. "And do you think you could maybe loosen these things up just a bit?" she asked the other officer, referring to the cuffs. "They're just a little too tight for my circulation's liking."

Andy walked over - he did his best to hide the smile.

"Hey and don't we get a phone call?!" Phoebe could be heard again. "I know I'm suppose to get a phone call."

The first officer smirked. "You'll get your phone call, lady, as soon as we're done booking you."

"Great, thanks," Phoebe cracked.

"What do we got here?" Andy's voice broke in. "What seems to be the problem, officers?"

"Oh, Andy, thank god!" Phoebe announced.

Paige shot her a glare - deliberately bumping against her.

"What?" Phoebe protested.

"What my sister means is - oh, Inspector Andy, thank god. You're here to book us now so we can get that phone call," Paige improvised a little too flamboyantly - drawing out the sentence. She shot her eyes back at Phoebe to stress her point. "Uh, we don't need for them to know that he knows us," she hissed in a whisper.

The officer sent her a strange look. "Sure," he responded. He turned his attention back to Inspector Trudeau. "Felony Trespassing, Inspector. They were found on private property - church grounds - but inside of the building. Best we can figure - they used one of the broken windows in the basement to get inside."

"A church?" Andy took a quick glance between the two sisters.

"Yes, sir," the officer in the middle of finger-printing Phoebe responded. "Nun asked them to leave and they refused."

Paige was next to be finger-printed while Phoebe moved in front of the camera to have her mug shot taken. Andy remained close by and watched, slightly amused, as Paige moved to be photographed next. He used his pummelled fist to try and stifle a laugh; however, a small smile could still be made out anyway. However, when the two officers moved to have them taken downstairs to the holding cells, Andy quickly intervened.

"Uh, I can take them to the cells, officers," he informed them.

Puzzled expressions crossed over the faces of the two men. This was a little irregular since it was a part of their job description and out of a higher-ranking Inspector's league. Andy, on the other-hand, saw it as the perfect opportunity to get down to Prue and Piper.

"Are you sure, sir?" one of them checked to make sure.

"Yeah, it's no problem," Andy tried to reassure. "I'm on my way down there anyway so it's not really out of my way."

"Sure you won't need any help escorting them down?" the other asked.

"No, it's fine," Andy stressed one last time. "I can handle it."

The other officers departed - leaving Andy with Phoebe and Paige. He guided them both in the direction of the doors, leading them towards the elevators.

"Well, I'm glad to see you two are okay," he threw to them, holding the elevator doors open so they could get on first.

"Define okay," Phoebe supplied sarcastically as she stepped on - following Paige. Andy smirked while stepping on - he pushed a button and the door shut.

Feeling a little more relaxed with the privacy the elevator offered, Andy expounded on his comment some more. "We were worried. One minute you guys were right there with us and then the next minute you were gone. Coop went looking for the two of you at the apartments and Leo is waiting back at the manor."

"Paige orbed us out in time," Phoebe informed him. "She didn't want the Triad to track us so she went to the Church instead. And then you know the rest," she rolled her eyes.

"I can't believe my plan actually worked," Paige enthused.

"I can't believe a little, old, sweet nun like that actually had us arrested," Phoebe remarked with disbelief. "It's not even like we stole anything."

"Unfortunately, trespassing is still trespassing," Andy smirked. "But I'm glad you managed to avoid adding larceny to the rap sheet too," he cracked.

"Oh, no, she tried to accuse us of that too," Paige enlightened him.

With his arms folded, he turned with an incredulous look on his face. Paige responded with another dramatic nod of her head to confirm it.

"Oh please, like her precious mother and child statue all the way in the back was going to fit inside my tiny pocket," Phoebe cracked again. "Remind me to pass up on charity donation there if I ever happen to win the lottery."

The numbers that were lit up on the panel finally reached the basement level floor. The door opened up to reveal a long stretch of hallway - revealing a sealed door at the very end. The guard posted on duty kept a close watch outside and used a key to unlock it as Andy approached with them. After greeting the officer on guard, Andy entered with the guard, Phoebe, and Paige as they all carefully scanned the empty holding cells. The guard unlocked one of the cell doors - ushering the two sisters inside. After securing their imprisonment, the guard waited for Andy to leave with him.

"Uh, you can go on ahead," Andy informed him. "I have a few more questions I'd like to ask first," he lied to him. "Why don't you go on break?" he suggested. The guard nodded his acceptance and then exited.

"Okay, big problem!" Phoebe finally announced to the others, as soon as the guard was no longer in earshot. "I don't see them - so where the hell are they?"

With his hands at his sides, Andy circled around - surveying everything carefully. It was impossible - unless they had somehow found a way to escape without any help. "Uh, maybe they got out on their own?"

"How?" Paige shook her head. "They couldn't have used magic from inside here."

"Leo?" Andy proposed, not knowing what else to suggest. He walked back over to them. "He's waiting back at the manor. We should probably get back there. He said to meet him there with any news. Can Paige get all of us out of here?"

"Yup, sure can," Paige answered.

Sliding her arm through the bars, Paige reached out for Andy and held onto him. At the same time, she grabbed a hold of Phoebe and the three of them disappeared among the blue and white flurry of orbs.

**X **

Future Piper held up her hands. "Prue?" her soft, soothing voice tried to coax her older sister from the past. "Listen to me, I know that all of this must be very confusing and a little bit scary but I need you to trust me," she tried reaching out her hand.

Past Prue scooted back further. "No! Get away from me!"

"Prue?" Future Chris's eyes widened, digesting this revelation. "You're kidding, right?" He looked over at the future version of his mother.

Future Piper sent her son a stern look of warning.

"Right, sorry." He rolled his eyes. "Uh, listen, Prue?" he settled on. Future Chris took a few steps forward, joining his mother. "We're really going to need to get out of here and I mean like soon. So if you won't trust her," he nodded at his mother, "then trust me when I say that if any of us left standing here really wanted to hurt you - we would have already done it by now. I promise that we'll try and explain things later."

"Prue? Nobody here is going to hurt you, alright? But we're going to need for you to come with us," Future Piper pleaded once more.

She shook her head almost violently, still refusing to budge.

When Future Chris tried to approach, Past Prue sprang to her feet - using the wall for support as she did so. "I said to go away!" she gritted through her teeth. "Just leave me alone!" She darted across the cavern as fast as she could - heading for the exit, panic completely over-taking her.

Future Chris orbed out of sight immediately so he could stop her - orbing back in just the nick of time - before Past Prue could make it out into another dangerous zone of the Underworld. Both Future Molly and Future Melinda followed suit, providing Chris with back-up in case he needed it. At the sight of blue and white orbs appearing before her, Past Prue's feet skidded along the dirt - as she attempted to come to a complete stop.

"Believe me when I say," Future Chris glanced over his shoulder while addressing her, "you don't want to go there! We're only trying ..." his voice tapered off as his eyes caught the expansive size of her mid-section below. "Hold on here and back up a minute." He shook his head, not believing it. "Are you pregnant?" The question was first directed at Past Prue but then he quickly turned to address both his sister and his cousin. "She looks pregnant to me. Very pregnant."

Future Melinda's eyes widened - a dramatic nod of her head following. "Um, yeah, I'd definitely say she looks pregnant."

"Billie," Future Molly muttered, while staring at Past Prue's middle. "She's pregnant with Billie. Mom had Billie young and then gave her up for adoption."

"She's pregnant." The words of Future Piper were final - meant to confirm it - as she walked over to rejoin the others. She positioned herself behind Prue, blocking the entrance, so that Past Prue was now wedged in between her and the other three.

Future Chris flung his arms up into the air. "Oh, well, that's great," he cracked. "Great news. This just keeps getting better and better." He shook his head, scuffing his feet against the ground and kicking up some dirt in the process - with his shoes.

Startled and feeling trapped, Past Prue ran out from between them - doing her best to make it back in the direction she had originally come from.

"Mom, wait?!" Future Molly called out, reacting without thinking - as her emotions got the better of her after it finally sunk in who it was standing a few feet in front of her. A much younger version of her mother - but still a version of her mother nevertheless.

Future Chris snorted. "Yeah, that's right, Molly. I'm sure that'll help a whole lot. Freak her out some more why don't you? If we're lucky, maybe we'll get her out of here sometime _after_ the Underworld freezes over."

Thinking quickly, Future Piper took a deep breath. "Your favorite color is turquoise," she shouted out, starting to list off a bunch of facts that only she and Past Prue would know about. "You absolutely hate red meat. Madonna is your favorite female pop artist of the 80s - I borrowed and lost the cassette tape you got for Christmas."

Past Prue did stop; however, she didn't turn around to face the others. She listened as Future Piper continued to detail certain events from her young life that nobody else except herself should have any knowledge about.

"Grams caught us joy riding in her car on New Year's Eve - we were grounded for almost a month afterwards, do you remember that?" Future Piper took small, tentative steps forward, a warm smile spreading across her face. Then she laughed a little bit with the thought pertaining to the next memory. "And Phoebe stole your diary when you were still in the tenth grade; she made photocopies at our school library the next day and then passed them around the neighborhood on April Fool's Day. You were so angry with her - you made her do your chores for two months in exchange for not telling Grams."

Past Prue's eyes had grown bigger with each passing sentiment.

Future Piper's tone changed - it carried a sad edge to it. "And every year on Mom's birthday, you, Phoebe, and I would ride our bikes down to the Bay. Do you remember our messages in a bottle?" she paused. "We would each pick a different flower from the flower bed Grams left in the back yard and we placed them inside our bottles. And then after we reached the dock, we'd sit there for hours until we each thought about the most important thing that happened to us during that year - the most important thing we wanted Mom to know about. Then we would write it down privately and stuff it in our bottles - throwing them into the water."

Slowly, Past Prue turned back around to face the others.

Future Piper's walk continued at a slow pace. "You dated Andy for most of high school and then broke up with him on the last day of your junior year - in the gymnasium. And when Grams found out you were pregnant, she sent you away to live with the Jenkins so they could adopt the baby girl that you're carrying right now," she indicated with a slight nod of the head. "And you and I - we had been writing letters back and forth ever since," she finished.

"How - how," Past Prue choked out, her voice breaking. "How do you know all that?" she stammered, blinking back tears.

"Because Prue," Future Piper smiled, stopping just in front of her. "I'm your sister. How else would I know all that?" She was now at her sister's side.

"My sister?" Past Prue repeated, not sure how to take the admission.

"Yes. It's me, Piper."

Silence held everyone captive for the better part of a minute.

"How come you're so old?" finally came Past Prue's inquiry. She scanned over the others. "And what about them? Who are they?"

Future Piper chuckled a little - standing to the side; however, a little bit behind her. "One explanation at a time," she gently brought her hands to the tops of her past sister's shoulders while facing the others. "All of it will just give you a headache."

"Hey," Future Chris interjected, addressing his mother. "I'm glad you're finding this so amusing but refresh my memory here? Before Aunt Paige, I thought you said you and your sisters didn't get your powers back until after your Grams died - which also happened to be when you were older - at least older than that!" he indicated the current age version of Past Prue. "So, unless I'm missing something here, that makes her pregnant and powerless."

"Which means we're going to need to protect her," Future Melinda concluded.

"Uh, no, which means we've been elected for babysitting duty," Future Chris added his own twist to the interpretation. He stood with his arms folded across his chest. "Something I'm really not up for so I say - " he paused briefly. "Mom?" he looked pointedly at his mother. "Since she's actually a version of your sister - you should get the honor."

"Oh, Chris!" Future Piper scolded her son gently. "I think it's safe to say that we're all in this together until we can figure out what happened. Wouldn't you?" It was more of a directive - not a suggestion.

"Fine. Whatever."

Past Prue narrowed her eyes at Future Chris, absorbing his words, and not liking the insulting insinuation that she was somehow a burden on these complete strangers. "Hey, look, I don't need a babysitter!" she spat. "I need to get back home."

"No, what you need is a personal body guard at all times otherwise Billie is screwed," he retorted, doing his best to match the stubborn glare coming from the past version of his aunt. "Not to mention Christy and Penny!"

"Uh, yeah - try and ease up there on the future information, Chris," Future Melinda widened her eyes at her brother, trying to remind him.

"Wait!" Past Prue interjected, after following the flow of dialogue. "Are you guys going to try and tell me that you're from the future?" She pointed from one to the other, finally landing on Future Piper still standing beside her. "All of you?"

"If we did, would it make you shut-up?" Future Chris cracked.

"No!" Past Prue defiantly fired back.

"Chris!" Future Molly slapped him against the arm.

"What?" Future Chris threw his hands up in protest. "Look, I'm kidding but what I'm not kidding about is needing to get out of here. Do we even know what time period we're in right now?" He addressed his mother again. "Speaking of which, how is Gideon even alive? I thought you and your sisters vanquished him and the rest of the Triad years ago. Just before ..."

Future Chris was suddenly cut off from the thought he was about to verbally complete as Future Melinda swatted him and a loud coughing noise intentionally erupted from Future Molly's throat. He watched as the eyes of the others darted conspicuously in the direction of Past Prue and he quickly realized the error he was about to make. Thinking as quick as he could to cover up his blunder, he finished the sentence by changing what he originally intended to blurt out.

"Just before ... those other demons you had to vanquish."

Future Piper's gaze averted from her sister. Closing her eyes briefly, a weary sigh escaped from between her lips. "We did vanquish them, Chris," she confirmed for her son. "Gideon included."

"Do you think it's safe to go back to the Manor?" Future Molly's eyes suddenly brightened at the idea. "As a meeting point for the five of us - just until we can figure out and sort this whole mess out?"

"Well, that depends," Future Melinda conceded. "Are we still in our time? Or are we stuck somewhere in the past? Who will we run into there if we go?"

"I don't know," Future Chris shook his head. "Wyatt and his demon goons sure aren't any picnic to deal with but somehow - trying to explain ourselves to some past version of _Grams _or even to our own parents doesn't strike me as being all that safe!" Future Chris cringed at the idea of a confrontation leading to a multitude of questions. Questions that would most likely pro-cede a couple power blasts, some scratches or bruises, and an interrogation eventually resulting out from some serious pleading and begging.

"And Mom, how are you even still alive?" Future Melinda's attention turned back to the mother standing so close to her. "I mean ... "

"Lets hold off on all the explanations for another time," Future Piper pushed the question off, holding up her hand to stop any further interrogation. "Right now, Chris is right. We need to get out of the Underworld, it's not safe to hang around down here. We can try the Manor. It's the best we have to go with for now. Everyone just be on immediate guard after we get there. We could have some serious explaining to do."

"Yeah, exactly what I'm afraid of," Future Chris rolled his eyes.

Alot of uncertainty filled the small group who was left behind as they gathered together. Future Piper immediately reached out to take a hold of her son and daughter but Past Prue was the most reluctant and hesitant to leave and go anywhere with them. Future Molly reached out for her younger mother's hand - beseeching her to take it. Finally, she gave in and grabbed on as the group of five left behind the confines of the Underworld by orbing away.

**X**

Billie allowed the full force of the revelation to settle over her.

"Her father?" she repeated to herself - almost not believing it. "You've been alive - this whole time?" she re-addressed Richard the second time.

"Yes, and I like I said, I expect you to bring her back to me. As soon as possible and without letting anyone else know what it is that you are doing," Richard added. "Those are my conditions for this little arrangement. If you follow these simple rules and succeed - the whitelighter will be free to go. If you don't, well, I'll leave his fate in the hands of some others who know better how to handle him. I think that a darklighter or two may have crossed my path during my time in exile."

"And what if she refuses to?" Billie tried to reason, not wanting the task. It went completely against everything she and JD had been trying to do - which was to reconnect Lana with her mortal roots. Common sense dictated that reintroducing her demonic father into her life now would only stunt that progress. "I can't make her."

Richard's sneer grew wider. He began pacing the small length of the perimeter - just outside the shield - with his hands folded behind his back. "Come on now, Billie," he mocked. "I'm sure a smart girl like you can figure something out. You and the whitelighter had no problems searching out her mortal background, correct? So convince her, tell her whatever you have to - to make her think it's in her best interest. All you need to be concerned with is getting her here. The rest is all up to me," he reasoned.

Billie felt trapped. How could she get around agreeing to something she didn't want to do - especially when JD's life was dependent upon it? The stranger had obviously done his homework - and had done it well. Had they been careless? Richard - or Marco as he really would be called - was aware of their involvement and the moves they made with Lana. Billie quickly tried to recall in her mind's eye if there was ever any time when they felt like they were being watched or followed while with her.

She couldn't.

"Do we have a deal?" he pushed for her answer.

However, Billie was momentarily saved from making the pact as her focus shot to JD - who began stirring on the ground next to her. With all of her attention shooting to him, she knelt down beside him on the ground. Gently, she bent over to assist him.

"JD? Are you okay? It's me, Billie."

"Billie?" JD squinted his eyes as he tried to bring the figure above him into focus.

"Yeah, it's me. While JD struggled with lifting himself up, Billie dove in with a hug. "Thank god you're alright. Then she smacked him against the shoulder. "But what were you thinking?! You shouldn't have come here after me. Didn't you learn anything after the last time?" she pointed out, referring to the time Gideon had her and he had been tricked into helping Lana in exchange for Billie's location inside the Underworld.

"Hey, you didn't actually think I was going to leave you down here?" he offered his trade-mark grin, instantly regretting it. He brought his hand to the back of his head as a sharp pain jolted through the back of his head - causing his face to scrunch up and contort.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need an answer?" Richard cut into the small moment shared between the two.

Billie and JD stood back onto their feet - Billie helping JD.

"You?" JD shot at the stranger he now recognized. "What do you want with us? Let us go," he demanded.

"I'll do it!" Billie lied. She would figure a way out of it later.

"You'll do what?" JD demanded to know, staring at her. His hardened look immediately shot back at Richard. "Billie's not doing anything for you. Whatever it is - I'll do it!"

"Sorry," Richard mocked him. "But this is strictly _witch business_," he cracked. "Whitelighters are a no go."

"Well then you can go to hell! Billie will be helping you or doing anything else you ask over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged," Richard sneered.

JD made a threatening move and Billie tried to stop him.

"JD, no! Wait!"

Her warning came too late and JD was shocked by the electrical force-field that he didn't realize was there blocking them - the same one Billie had encountered earlier. The force was enough to jolt him - sending him flying backwards until he hit the ground. Richard held out his hand and then waves of electrical current suddenly caused him to writhe on his back. Billie immediately ran to his aid, protesting.

"Stop it! I said I would do it!"

After a few more minutes of allowing Billie and JD to feel the terror he had brought to life, he slowly brought his hand back down and the convulsions stopped. However, JD was once again thrown back into a state of unconsciousness. Billie tried to suppress the sobs she felt getting stuck inside her throat.

"Good," Richard finally remarked. "I'm glad we finally understand each other."

**X **

Leo anxiously paced the attic floor, arms crossed, with his hand underneath his chin while he engaged in some deep thought. He hadn't heard back from neither Coop nor Andy and there still hadn't been any sign of the girls. He hated to admit it - but things weren't looking good. Perhaps the Triad had taken Phoebe and Paige after all.

Suddenly, Coop teleported back into the attic.

"Coop, thank god," Leo announced, walking over to him. "Any sign of them?"

"No," Coop shook his head solemnly in response. "I checked both places and they weren't at either one. I also ran into Henry at Paige's apartment and ended up giving him the run around," he reported. "Lying to him didn't make me feel any better."

"I know but it's probably better to keep him out of it for now. Especially since we're not sure about anything," Leo offered. "It'll just give him something to worry about."

"Right." Coop sighed. "What about Andy?"

"I haven't heard back from him yet. Which concerns me," Leo admitted. "Whatever mess Prue and Piper are in - it may not be as easy to get them out of as we had hoped."

Coop released a low whistle.

Suddenly, a loud noise alerted both men to the sight of Billie being spit out from the air and hitting against the table - causing items to fall and crash everywhere. She had been deposited from a swirling mass of dark energy whirling in mid-air.

"Ouch!" Billie groaned.

"Billie? What happened?" Leo walked over, concern written all over his face.

"Oh, you mean the big, black, swirling hole of nothing?" she retorted mockingly in response to the unexpected source of transportation - while getting up from the floor to straighten herself out. Leo reached his hand out to assist her. "That would be our new best friend. Demon friend that is."

"What do you mean?" Coop inquired, his eyebrows arched high.

"Short version. He wants Lana. And he has JD. But he only agreed to let him go if I bring her to him. Oh, that, and I wasn't suppose to let anyone know so I'm already down one," she rolled her eyes for dramatic effect.

"But you're okay?" Leo asked, concerned about her welfare first.

"Who me? Fine," Billie brushed off with a wave of her hand. "But JD is a whole other story. We need to get him out of there."

"How do you know all that?" Coop asked.

"I ran into some trouble at the library. He grabbed me and brought me to the Underworld," she informed them. "But I haven't even gotten to the worst part yet."

"Which is?" Leo pushed for the information.

"He claims to be Lana's father."

"What?" Coop asked, completely shocked.

"Yeah, I know, that was my reaction too," Billie cracked. "He claims he use to be a Triad member. And that he was exiled by them or something like that. And he knew all about Dumain - that demon that raised Lana."

"Okay, that's definitely not good news," Leo sighed.

"By the way, where are the others?" Billie looked around. "I was suppose to meet back up with them here before I ran into trouble."

Leo and Coop shared a look.

"The sisters are in some big trouble of their own," Leo shared. "Prue and Piper were both arrested. And the Triad attacked here at the manor - so we don't know where Phoebe and Paige are."

"And Lana's dead," Coop volunteered. "Phoebe vanquished her."

"W-h-a-t?" Billie drew out slowly. It was her turn to be shocked by the turn of events that had transpired while she had been gone.

However, a split second later - Leo, Coop, and Billie were interrupted and greeted by two sets of orbs flashing into the attic at the same exact time. Moving their heads from one end of the attic to the other, the two men were at least relieved with one reappearance. The other side; however, shocked them. On the left side of the attic, Andy had returned with both Phoebe and Paige in tow. Paige had orbed them back. However, on the right side - five pairs of eyes met with the shocked eyes of everyone else standing there.

The past, present, and future had just collided with each other.

* * *

**To Be Continued: **Okay, I'm going to end it there. Prue and Piper's whereabouts (along with the little ones) will be revealed next chapter. I was actually going to squeeze it in this one but I wanted to do the parts more justice and it just seemed crammed. So I moved it.

Oh, and for those of you curious about Sarah, you'll find out eventually but not for awhile **(*wink*).** LOL.

Hope you enjoyed the update and don't forget to push that button and review. It's always good for a writer to get the feedback. **:o) **


	40. Welcome To My Past, Present, and Future!

**A/N: **Hello everyone.

Okay a quick comment to start with - I do realize that stories can become confusing to readers when a writer is integrating alot of characters inside of different time-lines. So here's a small chart to assist you and I hope that it helps to serve as a type of guide. Here you go.

**In the Present (2007): **Phoebe, Paige, and Billie. Future Piper and Past Prue. Future Chris, Future Melinda, and Future Molly. Evil Future Wyatt and Sarah. And the rest of the characters who remain in the present time-line.

**In the Past (1988): **Prue. Also, any other characters who appear with her in the past time-line.

**In the Future (2029): **Piper, Wyatt, Chris, and Molly. Also with any other characters who appear in the future time-line.

Also, in addition, my response to a few anonymous review comments. I can't use the review reply for those so I'll respond here. First off, thanks a bunch to all the positive feedback. I'm glad there are alot of you out there that like this story so much and appreciate my work enough to share that with me. Secondly, yes, while it's true that Prue and Piper are pregnant and it doesn't get mentioned alot - that's because the focus isn't suppose to be on the pregnancies themselves. I've provided the readers with the knowledge that they are in fact pregnant but that's it. There have been a few references tied back to the pregnancies - like Piper visiting with the soul of her future daughter-to-be on the In-Between Realm. Phoebe has scolded Prue on rare occasion. It's not that Paige and Phoebe aren't concerned, there have been these few incidents marking their concern - but it's very much like the show. Even while they were concerned about Piper, Piper still had to perform her duty as a Charmed One, pregnant and all. Piper and Prue may not have shields; however, Piper didn't have one while she was pregnant with Chris either. Pregnancies and family life will not stop the demons from attacking them and Phoebe and Paige won't be able to handle everything by themselves just because their sisters happen to be pregnant. Especially with the way the Ultimate Power works. Unfortunately, this means they take risks.

Thanks for the reviews everybody. Welcome back to those of you I haven't seen in awhile. **;o)**

* * *

**Chapter 39: Welcome To My Past, Present, and Future!**

**(Present - 2007)**

A few seconds passed by in complete silence.

"Whoa!" Billie broke the silence. Her eyes quickly darted between the group of faces that had just arrived across the attic and then her attention shot back to the others who were standing with her. "Okay, um, where did they come from?"

Spotting the only familiar face that a few of them would instantly recognize from the small group, Phoebe took steps forward - Leo following her lead.

"Chris?! What's going on?" Phoebe's voice carried over to who she had come to know as her future nephew.

The eyes of Future Chris widened and his brows arched.

"What are you doing here?" Leo's concerned voice backed his sister-in-law up.

Phoebe's eyes also quickly skimmed over the small group found alongside him; however, her main focus remained on the future version of her nephew - waiting for an explanation.

"Who - me?" Using his index finger, Future Chris pointed back at himself- seeking clarification that he was the one from his group being sought out.

Phoebe stopped. "Uh - yeah, you!" She eyed him suspiciously. "Is there another Chris that we should know about?"

"Why are you acting like you don't know us?" Paige piped in from the background.

"Uh ... " Future Chris stammered, turning to glance at his mother and the others with him, his questioning eyes meeting with theirs for an answer on how he should respond to this.

"Did something go wrong? Did something happen that we need to know about?" Leo pushed, while the others behind him just watched and waited. He was also growing suspicious by Future Chris's unusual reaction. He was also very curious about the unexpected arrival of the other unfamiliar faces with him.

"Dad?" Future Chris narrowed his eyes, suddenly identifying the man who was addressing him as a younger version of his father.

Slowly, the suspended Elder unfolded his arms from across his chest - bringing them down to his sides - while he continued to survey the entire group. A wide-spread look of confusion formed his facial expression. Giving in, he finally asked his future son the question on his mind.

"Who are they?"

No one moved nor spoke. They were waiting for some type of explanation - one Future Chris didn't have for them. He turned again to meet the stares coming from his own group. Clearly, the others with him hadn't been expecting this type of reception anymore than he had. Some how or in some way, they knew Future Chris. However, upon quick inspection, the future version of his mother didn't appear to be too shocked by the notion that Leo, or one of her sisters from this time period, would recognize him. When Future Chris's eyes met Future Molly and Melinda, they just both shrugged back in response. Turning back, he addressed the younger versions of both his aunts and father.

"Um - let me get this straight. We know each other?!" Future Chris clarified - just so he would have a complete understanding.

The confusion in his tone was evident to all the others standing around - those from the past, present, and future time-lines; however, it was Phoebe, Leo, and Paige who shared the feelings of bewilderment. Andy, Coop, and Billie stood in the background feeling out of place in this new-found situation. The future visitors, and one from the past, took a much more passive approach - if they trusted Future Chris and he could handle it, then all the better for them. Paige, on the other-hand, had taken the initiative to step up and rejoin Phoebe.

Taken aback by her nephew's inquiry, Phoebe flinched. "Do we know each other?" she repeated his question word for word. "What kind of a question is that?"

"Chris, of course we know each other," Leo stressed to the future version of his son - narrowing his eyes. "Why would you ask us that?! Don't you remember?"

"Yeah, Ultimate Battle about a year ago, Wyatt's powers vanishing, and your little trip with him back to our time to fix it?" Paige listed off - joining in and attempting to remind him. "Do you not remember any of that?"

A long silence ensued.

"Chris, say something," his father instructed.

The blank stare coming from Future Chris was all the validation they needed. He didn't seem to remember any of those events at all. Why? Leo waited for a verbal confirmation that put words to what they all suspected. The fear crept up inside all of them at just about the same time and then Phoebe gave the verbal confirmation.

"Demons!" the accusation in her voice was clear.

Billie stepped forward - preparing herself for the attack as she swung her arm, aiming to send the table flying into them. Coop took her reaction as a warning and he automatically reached out, grabbing onto Andy's arm. Then he teleported out, taking with him the only mortal standing in the attic besides Leo. Paige stood close by to the others - preparing to orb out with Leo, Phoebe, and Billie if necessary. The eyes of the Future children bulged after hearing the accusation and witnessing Billie's swift movements.

"No, wait!" Future Melinda pleaded.

However, it was too late. The table, positioned in the center of the attic just seconds before, was now flying through the air - aiming directly for the past and future newcomers.

**X**

**(Past - 1988)**

Prue suddenly came to with a major headache.

Groaning, she threw her hand up to her head - forcing herself to focus on her surroundings. What was it that she lying on - a bed? Underneath her head, Prue found out there was in fact a pillow there. Lifting herself upright, she immediately noticed that she was inside of some strange bedroom - one that she didn't recognize. No longer was she present inside the dark cavern with that treacherous Gideon.

"Great, where the hell am I now?" she muttered.

Getting off the bed, her attention reverted to a small, wooden-carved, white-painted desk positioned next to the wall just in front of the bedroom window. Walking over to it, she rested one hand on the top length of the chair - the same chair that was a matching piece to the desk. Her other hand shot immediately to the stacks of books found on top of it - as she began to inspect and read aloud.

"Calculus."

"The works of Edgar Allan Poe - English Literature."

"Physics."

Prue listed off the different subjects and quickly reached the conclusion that they appeared to belong to someone living here that attended high school. The big question was - where exactly was_ here_? Quickly, her mind shifted to the most important concern.

"Piper?" she sighed heavily, suddenly looking around everywhere.

Where were Piper and the kids?

Taking quick steps to the door leading out of the room, Prue was brought into an upstairs hallway. Looking from side-to-side, there appeared to be no sign of her sister - no sign of her daughter or nephews.

"Piper?" she hissed in a whisper.

Then she heard the echos of a voice coming from the downstairs. Slowly, she headed in the direction of the circular, rounding staircase that led into a living room. Her slow and cautious steps still managed to create creaking sounds; however, she stopped in her tracks when the voice sounded close enough to hear. The concerned tone of a woman's voice appeared to be coming from another room - a kitchen maybe?

_"We've looked everywhere, Penny, and she's nowhere to be found! I'm getting really worried, should we call the police?"_

Prue furrowed her brows as she tried to piece together the conversation. Penny - was perhaps this same Penny her Grams? When she didn't hear a response back and the conversation continued to sound one-sided, Prue concluded that this woman was most likely talking on the phone.

_"But has Prue ever run away from home before?"_

Prue?

Okay, that had to be her! First the clear mention of Penny and now her own name was way beyond being just a mere coincidence. Where the hell was she and why couldn't she remember any of this? This obviously had transpired some time before her Grams had died and while she had been an adolescent. Otherwise, why would this woman even be suggesting the idea that Prue would have turned into a run-away? Unless ...

And then it struck her as clear as day.

Is this where she had been sent away to have Billie? Quickly and as quietly as possible, she retraced her steps back up the stairs and into the bedroom she had just abandoned. She needed a calender - something around here to confirm a date or a time period. Flinging drawers open, she went into a desperate search. There were folders, pens and pencils, a compass, lined paper, and an array of other school essentials. Prue pushed all of that to the side until her hands finally rested on something different. Pulling it out, she soon realized that a journal was now in her possession. Running her hand over the cover, an odd feeling of recognition washed through her. Had she seen this before?

Opening it up, Prue quickly flipped through the pages until she landed on the most recent one that had writing on it. Prue's eyes finally settled on what she had been looking for. She read the date scribbled on the page:

"October 2nd. 1988."

Looking up, she slammed it shut.

**X**

**(Present - 2007)**

The reaction was immediate - Future Piper darted away from the table's trajectory. She dove towards the floor, pushing and pulling Past Prue with her. Past Prue let out a loud scream as Future Chris, Future Melinda, and Future Molly each held out their hands to halt and reverse the effects of the impending attack.

"Table!" all three of them shouted out simultaneously.

The table lit up in bright orbs, reversing its course, as it was sent flying backwards instead. Leo, Billie, Phoebe, and Paige all ducked as it finally crashed into the wall behind them. Turning around to eye the destruction, their attention quickly averted back to who they now perceived as a looming threat. Phoebe attempted to tap into Piper's power - intent on sending a blast at full-force back on the intruders; however, a bubble shield springing up around the past and future visitors prevented it.

"Stop!" Future Melinda pleaded. "We're not demons - we're Halliwells!" She released a heavy breath and rolled her eyes towards the ceiling - relieved she had gotten it out.

Future Molly interjected after her cousin. "Yeah, uh, we're family for crying out loud! Future family - but, hey, it still counts."

Future Chris turned to Future Piper. "Mom? Mind taking over here?"

Future Piper was in the middle of trying to calm down the younger version of her older sister - who was once again terrified by the unfamiliar display of magic. She looked out and over every person standing inside and outside of the bubble shield - family members who spanned across the time spectrum of past, present, and future. Slowly, her eyes moved until they met and locked with Leo's. His brows furrowed in contemplation as he took in the appearance of the much older version of his wife. Finally, it dawned on him that he actually was looking directly at a future version of Piper. Just like he was looking at his son.

"Okay, look, fine! What would you like us to say?" Future Chris confronted the others head on. "We come from the future. But believe me when I honestly say, I have no idea what you're talking about - any of you," he looked between Phoebe and Paige and then to Leo. "I have never seen you or met you - at least not how I am now or how you are now and most definitely - not in this time period. None of us here have."

Silence permeated everywhere as everyone contemplated his words.

"Okay, how is that possible?" Phoebe threw her hands up in the air, directing her confusion back at the others from her own group. "And if you're not demons and you, Chris, don't remember ever meeting us," her frustration shot back to Future Chris, "I think I speak for us all when I repeat the question from before and ask- what the hell are you doing here?"

"I swear - we're not demons," Future Chris urged. "Frankly, we're just as confused as you are about what's happening here!"

Leo, Billie, Phoebe and Paige all looked to each other. The anticipation in the air felt so thick they could cut it with a knife - but in the end, they went with Phoebe's power of empathy and discerned that these visitors were most likely telling the truth. Phoebe sighed, looking to the ceiling she called out.

"Coop? It's safe now!"

In a quick flash, Coop teleported back into the attic with Andy. Andy backed away, straightening himself out. The exit had been a quick and unexpected one. The method of travel had also been a little different from Paige's orbing so he wasn't use to it. He felt the dizziness spring to life.

"Sorry, man," Coop nodded an apology in Andy's direction.

"Don't worry about it. I'd rather keep my life," Andy cracked, a smirk in place. "Thanks."

Paige thought back to Coop and his ring. "Hey, didn't your ring place them back in their times last year, after the Ultimate Battle, without any memory to avoid any future consequences or something like that? Maybe that's why our Future Chris doesn't remember any of us or what happened last year?"

Coop sighed. "Maybe, but that was more for the benefit of your mother and grandmother. Just as a precaution to avoid any consequence to the future. There really wasn't any harm in Wyatt or Chris returning back to their time knowing the truth. But it's possible the ring just wiped away everyone's memory," he settled on.

Andy looked down at his finger. "Yeah, well, pardon me for bringing it back up - but it seems like that ring knows how to do an awful lot," he cracked, lifting his hand to remind him of the huge ring that stood in place of his wedding band.

"Or that version of time has become another alternate reality," Leo chimed in with his own conclusions on the matter. "No _one_ future is ever set in stone - events, choices, and courses of action made by free-will are constantly altering the future and determining where we end up." His brows furrowed contemplatively as he continued on with his analysis. "Maybe something happened very recently or will happen from this point on to create a different time-line in the future still to come? Which could easily mean that from his version of the future," Leo nodded in the direction of his future son, "Chris never even made that trip back with Wyatt almost a year ago."

That was the most likely conclusion for Leo. Which meant that, much like the version of Future Chris who came back from an alternate future to save his brother Wyatt from turning evil didn't exist anymore, this version of Future Chris wasn't the same Chris from the future time-line of a year ago.

Or was he?

"Or, hey, maybe the point in time from where I was pulled from - that particular event just hasn't happened to me yet?" Future Chris tried to offer up an explanation of his own. "I really don't have an answer for that," he shrugged his shoulders in the air. More confusion masked his face. "But, wait, you just said that Wyatt made a trip back in time with me?"

The bubble shield was brought back down.

"Yeah, why?" Leo asked. He noted that his future son sounded surprised by that particular revelation coming from them.

"Well, let's just say, the only trip Wyatt and I will be making together," Future Chris cracked, "is one that involves lots and lots of restraints. Particularly ones that put us to sleep so that we never have to look at each other!"

"Uh-oh!" Phoebe supplied, not fully grasping the seriousness behind what Future Chris was implying. Her eyes narrowed in a playful manner. "That doesn't sound good. Do I sense lingering issues of the sibling rivalry kind?"

"Believe me when I say sibling rivalry doesn't even begin to cover it!"

Billie snorted. "Yeah, believe us when we say - it's not like we don't have enough problems to deal with already. How did you get here anyway?"

Andy, standing beside her, shared a look with Billie.

"Well, actually, I think I speak for us all," Future Chris nodded towards his own group, "when I say we were kind of hoping maybe you might know the answer to that."

"Actually, I think I already have the answer to that."

Everyone in the attic brought their attention to the older woman from the group, who was hovering over the young dark-haired girl. After she had spoken, Future Piper gently broke herself out of Past Prue's grip and then moved herself forward - until she was standing beside her niece and children. Future Piper smiled.

"Leo," she greeted her much younger husband. "Try not to worry too much about me," the soft and loving flow of voice met with the ears of a very concerned Leo. "I'm absolutely certain that my younger counterpart is in just as good hands."

"You know where Piper is - I mean - where you are?" Leo quickly corrected himself.

Future Piper nodded.

The voice of Future Chris broke in. "Wait, hold on a minute. Mom?" his surprise meeting the expression of his future mother who's face turned around to meet with his. "You know what happened? Then why didn't you just tell us before we came here?"

"Because we needed to come here first," Future Piper explained to her son. "We can't fix this by ourselves, Chris. Gideon opened up a box - we've been transported through time. And without the Ultimate Power - we're going to need the Power of Three as back-up."

Future Piper looked to Phoebe and Paige, who in turn, looked at each other.

"And you know this - how?" Future Chris pushed.

"Yeah, Mom, what do you mean?" Future Melinda inquired. "How would you know all that?"

"Because I'm remembering," Future Piper explained to her daughter and both groups. "Or rather, I'm remembering what I was told after I came back."

"After you came back?" Future Chris parroted. "Okay, mom? If you're trying to confuse us, then you're doing a bang up job."

"I didn't know what had happened to me at the time," Future Piper elaborated. "I still don't recall what I saw. I just remember experiencing one thing - traveling to the future and then coming back. I wasn't allowed to remember after I got back because of ..."

"Future consequences!" Phoebe and Paige cut her off, bobbing their heads up and down while finishing their sister's sentence together.

"Yada, yada, we know!" Paige rolled her eyes.

Phoebe snorted. "That line's getting so old!"

"Tell me about it!" Paige agreed.

"A box?" Future Molly furrowed her brows - thinking back to what her aunt had just shared with them a few seconds ago.

"Not just any box," Future Piper stressed to her niece. "Pandora's Box. Gideon had it in his possession back during the time when he was a Triad."

"Uh, yeah. And that time would be right now," Paige cracked. "Could we not talk like we're the ones stuck in another time, please? I think my brain is going to go on the fritz if we keep talking about the present, and things that haven't happened yet, like it's the past - thank you very much."

Phoebe smirked - she had to agree there.

"Exactly, it's not the past yet," Future Piper acknowledged. "He used the energy coming from inside of it and combined it with the use of some ritualistic stones that were also used to open it up. That part I'm sure has already happened since I'm standing here right now instead of my younger counterpart. They were some ancient stones he happened to acquire from Barbas," she shared with them. "Actually, if memory serves me right, I do believe they also turned out to be the same stones Barbas used to give Gideon back his life."

Phoebe snorted in disbelief. "So that's how he cheated death?"

"Barbas?" Paige rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?!"

"Barbas was working with Gideon when he kidnapped Wyatt inside of the Underworld," Leo reflected back on the past. "He must have waited around or came back for Gideon after I killed him," he attempted to make sense of what could have happened. "Probably used the stones and performed some type of black magic ritual."

"Right," Paige sighed. "Hey, any chance you remember what those stones were called?" she directed the question back at Future Piper. "It'll save me alot of reading," she sang merrily.

"I believe their reference name was Vicarian," Future Piper supplied for her baby sister. "But," she stressed, smiling wide before she continued on. "I'm afraid the reading is still on your agenda, Paige," her short stream of laughter flowed after the admission left her mouth. "I only remember what they were called - I wasn't here to find out how they worked to fix this problem. And I'm positive we will need them to fix this _switch,_ which also means we're going to need to find out as much as we can about them."

Paige groaned. "Ah, darn it! Why do Pheebs and I have to get stuck with all the grunt work? So completely unfair." She narrowed her eyes playfully at Future Piper.

Phoebe snorted again. "Yeah, no kidding."

"You do know that as soon as we get you out of this mess," Paige inserted, "that I fully expect one week paid for at the spa. On you! I know that you're out of a job in this time-line but go ahead and charge it!"

"Hm," Phoebe thought about the proposition. "Not a bad idea. I could actually use another new purse and a pair of matching shoes to go along with it," she teased.

Gritting down on her teeth, Future Melinda slowly raised her hand up into the air. "Uh, actually, Aunt Paige?" she timidly intervened, addressing the young woman she now identified as her youngest aunt - an aunt not much older than herself in this time-line. "Hi there," she waved, a nervous smile put in place. "Um, if she's here helping," she pointed at Future Piper, "then she's technically helping herself out of this mess too," she interpreted.

Future Molly couldn't help but laugh - a snort mixed in with it. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth to stifle it almost immediately at precisely the same time Paige narrowed her eyes and shot one of her looks between both young women.

"Aunt Paige?" Phoebe questioned - some of her own laughter mixing in.

Future Molly cleared her throat. "Right. She would be Melinda," she offered up, pointing at her. "Aunt Piper's daughter. And I'm Molly," she finished, introducing herself last.

"Oh?!" Phoebe's face lit up with the introductions. "Wow, that's really ... uh, wow!" she exclaimed one last time, the excitement in her voice clear. She rushed forward - her arms opened wide - as she warmly embraced Molly first. "And I would be your Aunt Phoebe," she introduced happily. "You're so beautiful, honey," she praised her. Molly was a little overwhelmed by the warm reception. Phoebe moved over to Future Melinda next. "And look at you - you look just like your mom, sweetie," she announced in the midst of hugging her. "There's no doubt that the good looks run in this family, huh?"

Future Molly and Future Melinda turned to look at each other - looks of amusement on their faces. They just shrugged in response, in addition to the smirks appearing on their faces, at the boisterous reaction coming from the younger version of their aunt. Phoebe moved to the side; however, her focus soon turned to the young pregnant girl found in the group. For a brief moment, the teen-aged girl looked very familiar to her and she tried to place it until recognition took over completely. Her momentary shock struck her speechless.

"Why would Gideon open up Pandora's Box?" Paige interrupted. "It was a pretty risky move on his part - who knows what he could have unleashed into the Underworld. We all saw what the box was capable of unleashing the last time a demon got a hold of it. Did he kill the guardian to get it?"

"Most likely," Leo confirmed. "There's no other way."

"Actually, correction, I wasn't here to see it," Andy interjected. "From the sounds of it too, thank god."

"Me neither!" Billie raised her hand in the air - smirking.

Coop added his input next. "I won't bother to third that but I am curious to know why Pandora's Box was being used as well. Time travel isn't exactly the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about that thing."

"I don't really know exactly what Gideon meant to do with that Box nor how he originally intended to use it," Future Piper supplied. "But what I do know is that it ended up taking us."

"Who's us?" Andy shook his head, standing with his arms crossed - trying to grasp for an understanding on everything going on in front of him.

"Us. Prue, the children, and myself."

Phoebe's attention shot back to what Future Piper had revealed. "Wait. You mean, Gideon and the Triad got to you guys in jail?"

"No," Future Piper negated. "I remember that we used that one stone we found to get ourselves out. It opened a portal and Prue and I were brought to the Underworld," she clarified - remembering back to that point during her life. "We found the children and confronted Gideon. And that's when he used the stones to open the Box."

"Wow, mom, you're just a fountain of information, aren't you?" Future Chris cracked - not liking that he had been kept in the dark until now.

Paige's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh?! Well, that definitely explains why Prue and Piper weren't waiting there after we got there!" her comment was directed at Andy. "How nice of them to take off without us - what in the world were you guys thinking?" she scolded Future Piper next, her tone filled with some agitation. "It was too dangerous to do that."

Andy closed his eyes and released a heavy sigh. "Great," he mumbled, reopening his eyes. "Can this get any worse than it already is?"

"Don't ask that," Billie warned the man she now knew to be her father. "I usually find that when you do - you'll found out just how much worse it can actually get!" she rolled her eyes along with her last words.

"Right," he smirked.

For most of the duration of this encounter, Andy had remained silent - merely listening. He was having a difficult time accepting who these people claimed to be. But then his eyes landed on the younger girl in the group with them. Why did she look so familiar to him? And then it suddenly hit him - much in the same way it had for Leo. He knew that face because it was the face of someone he knew and loved. Someone he loved back in another time and someone he loved and was married to now. Prue.

"Prue?" Andy mumbled, almost not believing it. "That's not possible."

His muffled response caught the attention of Billie and she sought the object of his attention - following his line of sight to where his stare landed and locked. Future Piper turned back around and used her arms to protectively encircle Past Prue. She sighed deeply before countering her sister's allegation.

"We were thinking that we needed to get to the children and waiting around in that jail cell was costing us too much time. We took that chance," she provided her defense for that time in her life.

"Hm," Paige hummed. "But you do know we're chewing you out when you get back home?" she supplied - eyebrows arched.

"Both of you." Phoebe's eyes landed on Past Prue.

Past Prue sent back her own look - a look that just read: Who in the hell are you and what the hell are you talking about?

However, by this time, most of the attention had already landed squarely on the past version of the oldest charmed sister - who was now currently missing in the same manner as Piper. Normally, Past Prue exhibited a very outgoing personality and carried a very fearless disposition; yet, she felt herself shrinking under the scrutinious glare of all the strange people around her during this moment.

What was going on?

**X**

**(Future - 2029)**

The last thing Piper remembered was the spiraling vortex that seemed to go on and on for miles without any sign to an end. Now, she awoke with a major headache - small whimpering sounds close to her in the distance somewhere.

What had happened?

"Momma?"

Wyatt?

Piper struggled against the blinding light somewhere above her, attempting to open her eyes. She heard the call coming from a small child.

"Mommy, where - are - you?" the small voice pleaded in broken sobs.

It wasn't Wyatt, it was Molly's voice. Then there were the sounds of some more wailing, this time coming from the son who she now identified as Chris. Where was Wyatt? Shortly after the thought hit her, she felt a small hand push against her.

"Momma, wake up!" his little voice pleaded with her, struggling to make her get up.

This was Wyatt, she recognized his voice.

He shoved against her again. "Momma, wake up!" he repeated a little bit louder this time.

"Wyatt?" her raspy voice called back out, while struggling to lift herself up. Through half- closed eyes, she could make out her son beside her. Suddenly, remembering her last few cognisant moments, she swayed around. "Prue?" her frantic calls began the search to locate her sister. "Prue, where are you?"

"Mommy's gone," Molly continued to sob a few paces away.

The scared cries of little Chris became louder. Piper pulled her young son into her arms, using her other arm to shield Wyatt against her side. Taking a quick look around at their surroundings, Piper quickly assessed that they were in some kind of big trouble. She had absolutely no idea where they had been transported to - although, it closely resembled some type of underground sewer system.

"Ew, gross," Piper mumbled at the thought.

Then Piper's concerns immediately raced to the possibility of being trapped somewhere else inside of the Underworld.

"Okay, Molly, honey - come here!" she instructed, holding out her hand for her niece to take. Molly's sobs continued and she stuck her thumb inside her mouth, a nervous gesture, as she moved towards Piper. She was holding out her other hand for her aunt to take. "That's it, come here, sit down over here next to me," Piper took her small hand and guided her down to the ground with them as Molly sat down. "I want everyone to stay close to me, no wandering off by yourselves, do you understand me?"

All the small heads of the three children bobbed up and down.

"Good," Piper praised, kissing the top of little Chris's head. "And we'll find mommy, sweetie, I promise. Okay?" she ran her hand gently over the back of Molly's blonde hair. Molly nodded back in response to her aunt's reassuring words as her sobs began to subside. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her small hand.

Piper shifted, moving Chris off her lap, kneeling and then finally lifting herself off the ground. Surveying her surroundings more carefully, she hoisted Chris back up in her arms as she kept Molly and Wyatt close by her side. Where in god's name was Prue? Had she been left behind? Had they been divided and then separated in wherever it was they had traveled to? With a keen eye, Piper narrowed her eyes in as she caught sight of the piping lining the wall. A small ladder led up to a kiddie sized man-hole and water drains lined both sides of the interior above them. Suddenly, it dawned on her to re-evaluate her initial assumption. Since when did anyone in the Underworld build sewer systems, or need water drains - it didn't rain in the Underworld?! And at what point did demons start using man-holes, leading into city streets, to enter the mortal world? It was suddenly very clear to Piper that they were somewhere in the mortal world.

Water could be heard dripping into the puddles it had formed; it was dark, smelly, and dreary down here. How depressing, Piper assessed.

Loud shuffling sounds approached from the distance. Piper felt fear grip her. Preparing to defend herself and protect the children, she released Chris from her arms and pushed the three children behind her. Her fears automatically gave birth to the pleading chant that arose up in her mind.

_Please be Prue - please just be Prue._

"Prue, is that you?" Piper finally gathered the courage to call out. However, she held her hands out, preparing to blow up anything that even dared to look at her funny.

Within a flash, three young strangers appeared from around the corner, dashing at full speed ahead. Instinctively, the young woman leading the small group threw up her hands into the air after they had stopped - this happening at the same time Piper moved to defend herself and the kids. Both Piper and the other young woman threw a powerful blast of exploding energy towards each other; however, the explosion collided square in the middle - the energy richoceting and sending a powerful blast of air in both directions. Piper and the children were lifted up and thrown back in one direction - while the three, new strangers were flung backwards the opposite way.

Piper scrambled to her feet with the children; the three children were crying.

The three strangers sprang to their feet immediately. A second one aimed her hands at the puddles found on the ground around all of them. Using a form of telekinesis to control the water molecules, the water lifted up into the air in singular streams. Then, this same young woman used her hands to manipulate the water again - this time freezing the liquid. The frozen streams of water, now resembling icicles, were then aimed in the direction of the small group and little Wyatt instantly threw up his bubble - shielding himself, his mother, his brother, and cousin from the attack.

The first stranger, the same stranger responsible for imitating the same blast that Piper had thrown with her similtaneously just seconds ago, narrowed her eyes at the sight. The last stranger, immediately lifting her hands into the air, was preparing to use her electrical force field to pop the bubble shield when she was suddenly stopped by the first stranger.

"No, stop!" the first stranger commanded, putting up her hand to signal her authority to the other two with her. She received hard glares from both of them.

"P, what gives?" the second stranger asked, the one responsible for controlling the water molecules.

"P?" Piper mimicked. "Well, _P_ can take both herself and you two - and back it up. You want to take me on, go for it, but if any one of these kids get hurt, you'll have me to deal with." She pulled Chris back up into her arms.

The three glares met Piper's heated one.

"Who are you?" the stranger, called _P,_ interrogated.

"Good question," Piper cracked. "How about answering that one for me?" she turned the question back around onto them.

"You're on our turf," one of the others protested. "This is how it works - you answer our questions, we don't answer yo ... "

"The name's Prudence," the first young woman, called _P_, cut the other one off.

"P, what are you doing?" the other one protested. "We're here to find the others - not make new friends! For all we know, Wyatt sent them here."

Piper overheard her son's name mentioned and her brows furrowed while her eyes narrowed. _P_ actually stood for Prudence? Were they kidding - what kind of a joke was this?

"I got this, Jules. Back off, will ya'?" Prudence warned.

The young woman groaned in agitation, turning to share an annoyed look with the third young woman who just rolled her eyes in response.

"I'm looking for my sister!" Piper took advantage of the moment and called out. "Her name is Prue. Have you run into her or seen her around here?"

All three surprised faces shot back to her.

"Are you shape-shifters?" Prudence avoided the question that Piper asked. "What do you know about the others being gone?" she continued on with her own interrogation that was directed at Piper.

"What others being gone?" Piper shot back. "I don't even know how I got here, mind helping me out with that?" she threw back their way - looking between all three of them. Was it just a coincidence that one of them happened to share her sister's name? Then, her mind back-tracked. "And hold on a second. What would the three of you know about shape-shifting demons anyway? Judging by your warm welcome about a minute ago," she cracked, referring to their display of magic - "you should be able to answer that for me. Who are you?" she demanded to know.

"Uh-oh!" Prudence exclaimed, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

Piper's eyes bulged. "Uh, yeah. _Uh-oh _about sums this up if you don't start answering my questions," she mimicked and then directed the subtle threat back at the young woman standing a small distance in front of her. "What is that suppose to mean exactly?"

Prudence took a deep breath. Turning around, the three women huddled and began whispering something that Piper couldn't quite make out. However, reading body language had become something that she was good at. There was obviously a minor disagreement on how they wanted to handle this situation. Until now, the kids had remained quiet, Wyatt holding the shield in place. But he was beginning to grow tired and Molly pulled on Piper's pants to get her attention.

"Auntie Piper? I want to go home!" her little voice pleaded.

"I know, sweetie, we will!" she tried to reassure the four and a half year old.

"Maybe mommy is waiting for us there?" she suggested in all her child-like innocence.

"Maybe, sweetie."

Just a few seconds later, Prudence and the others broke apart with Prudence assuming the lead once again. Piper's stare met hers head on.

"I'm Prudence, this is Julie," she pointed to the second one who could control water. "Julie's my sister. And that's our cousin, Laura," she pointed to her next. "And I'm going out on a limb and assuming that you're going to tell me your name is Piper Halliwell," she announced finally, completely taking Piper by surprise. "Our apologies. I thought you looked familiar when I took a closer look at you. And the little ones," she nodded her head in their direction.

In a suspicious manner, Piper narrowed her eyes and glanced over all three of them. "And how would you know that?"

"P?" Laura turned to Prudence and protested. "This can be a trick?"

"It's not!" Prudence shot down. "Trust me, I could feel it and my empathy never lets me down," she insisted. "She's telling us the truth about everything." She looked Piper straight in the eyes with her next phrase. "She doesn't know how she got here."

"So glad to convince you," Piper cracked. "Now that we got that straight, how about answering one of my questions for a change. Who exactly are you people?"

"Well, we would be the daughters of Phoebe," Prudence answered, pointing between Julie and herself.

"And Paige!" Laura raised her hand in the air.

Piper stared between all of them.

"And if you're Aunt Piper, then you would be stuck in 2029," Julie finished for her sister.

**X**

**(Present - 2007)**

"Who are you?" Past Prue addressed Phoebe first.

Unconsciously, Andy took a few closer steps forward in her direction and she turned and noticed. His movements caused her to retreat and Andy stopped. He stared - not fully believing what his eyes were showing him. Past Prue's eyes darted across the room to meet those of the new strangers she had now encountered - they were staring back at her and it made her extremely uncomfortable to be the center of attention in this way. She found herself retreating some more - taking steps that brought her further away from her own group.

"Prue, honey, take it easy," Future Piper jumped in to reassure her once again. "I promise, nobody here is going to hurt you either."

"I want to go home. Now!" Past Prue demanded. "Take me back home." Her pleading eyes darted back towards her own group. "I don't want to be here anymore."

"Believe us, we would if we could," Future Molly tried to sympathize with the confused version of her mother. But she was just happy to be in the presence of any form of her mother. "But we don't even know how to get ourselves back home either!"

Phoebe tried to intervene. "Prue, sweetie, listen," she began to walk towards her.

"Stop!" Past Prue commanded. "I don't want you anywhere near me! You people are crazy," she accused, shaking her head in disbelief - to the other-worldly events she had witnessed in this short span of time. "All of you!"

Phoebe stopped. "We are going to try and help you get home, sweetie" she offered. "But we need for you to listen to us and do what we say."

"Besides, technically, we are home," Future Melinda bit down against her lip. "We're just not back in our own versions. We're in the attic of the manor."

Past Prue grew silent.

"Besides, if we're crazy, so are you sister!" Paige teased in a light manner.

Prue shot her a curious look.

"The name's Paige," the youngest sister beat her to the chase. She suspected what Past Prue was probably thinking. "And that would be the current version of Phoebe," she continued on with the introductions. "I know you know who that is. You know, your baby sister? But that's not actually the truth. I'm currently your big, baby sister but we don't meet for a while," she shared with the younger version of Prue.

"Oh." It was the only way Past Prue knew how to respond.

"Paige?!" Phoebe scolded.

"What?!" Paige challenged. "Look, it's not like we're going to be keeping that a secret!" she retorted. "I think we surpassed worrying about _future consequences _about, oh I don't know, say like _four other people ago_," her arms waved at the future visitors.

Andy, on the other-hand, couldn't pull his gaze away and Past Prue had caught it. She scrunched up her face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Past Prue challenged.

"Because, uh, - " he stammered.

"Because that's Andy," Phoebe helped out, supplying information she hoped would interest her sister long enough for them to be able to reason with her. "You two are married. Here, in this time and place."

The eyebrows on Past Prue shot up. Quickly, her heartbeat picked up and she felt the heat rush to her face as the room began to spin everywhere around her. All of this was just too much for her. She had been listening to this entire conversation - piecing it all together with the explanations from her own group. Sisters, children, and other relatives of varying ages from different futures? Magical powers, mythical boxes, and magical stones existing, not to mention, did they use the word - _demons_? She was losing it, she concluded - the hormones surrounding this pregnancy were finally catching up with her. Almost instantly, the dizziness caught up with her and Past Prue felt her consciousness slipping into blackness as her body slumped down - without her uttering another word. Future Piper reached out, she was the closest, and she struggled to keep her from dropping to the floor as others rushed to assist her. She fell anyway.

"I got her!" Andy was the first one there to assist.

Lifting the younger version of his wife into his arms - also his former teen girlfriend from high school - he carried her over to the antic couch, gently placing her onto it. While leaning over her, his eyes immediately caught the noticeable bulge that was clearly protruding from underneath the pink sweater. The look found within his eyes was momentarily matching the surprise he was no doubt feeling. She was pregnant - and that could only mean one possible thing but he was having a very hard time believing it. As he straightened back up, something else happened to catch his attention. It was the pink, button-down sweater with the red heart stitched a few inches down from the collar. Prue had always hated pink but he had gotten her the sweater for Valentine's day her junior year, his senior year. It was shortly before they had broken up. The stores hadn't sold the darn thing in turquoise - he had gotten his matching sweatshirt in blue. While all the other guys that year had been showering their girlfriends with chocolate candies and other assorted treats - Andy had opted to go another route. Instead, their matching hearts on the sweater and sweatshirt had read:

**Andy loves Prue** on hers and **Prue loves Andy** on his own.

He had paid for the special stitching himself, which had been placed into the hearts. Now, here she lie in front of him wearing that sweater. The memory brought a small smile to his face.

"Does this mean Prue's stuck in the past? That she went to the past while her past self came here?" Phoebe automatically put the pieces to this puzzle together.

"Yup, that's what it looks like!" Future Chris answered. He became rather quiet when she had become the center of attention.

"I don't understand," Paige voiced. "How come Prue didn't come from the future like the rest of you did?"

Future Chris, Molly, Melinda and Piper all shared a secretive but somber glance - the look spoke volumes amongst each other but it wasn't hidden from the others.

After looking between them, Phoebe sighed. "Okay, someone please explain that?!"

"It's nothing!" Future Chris covered up pretty quickly. "We don't know anything - we're just as in the dark as you are." He looked around at all of the skeptical stares he was receiving around him. "I swear!"

Paige narrowed her eyes in on her nephew. "Why don't I believe you?"

"Fine, don't believe me," Future Chris shrugged. "Like I care."

"Does this have something to do with Prue?" Andy jumped into the conversation, growing suspicious like the others had become. "Did something different happen with her then it did with you?" this next question was directed at Future Piper.

The demeanor in Future Molly had changed and Andy noticed that too. After defensively folding her arms across her chest, she began to fidget in an anxious manner - tapping her foot against the floor and making eye contact only with that floor. It was strange to be standing only a few feet away from someone who was suppose to represent his daughter - a daughter from somewhere in the coming future. She was a stranger; however, at the same time - not a stranger at all. He didn't know what to say to her - if he should say anything to her. Perhaps he had been reading into the situation a little too much, but she appeared to be keeping a safe distance from him. She was coming off a little stand-offish.

"Piper?!" Phoebe pleaded with her future sister for the truth. "Come on, if you know something and you're keeping it from us, you have to tell us."

Future Piper wouldn't meet the expectant looks coming from both her sisters and it was because of that body language, both Phoebe and Paige knew she was lying before the words even left their future sister's mouth.

"I'm not keeping anything from you."

Phoebe and Paige shared a concerned look. "We don't believe you."

"Don't push this." The frustration in Future Piper's voice was beginning to grow.

"Push what?" Phoebe persisted. "If something's happened to Prue - I think we have a right to know, Piper. Is she stuck in the past - are we going to be able to get her back?"

There was no response; however, Future Piper's sad eyes locked with Phoebe's.

"Are we going to lose her?"

The panic in Phoebe's voice put others on alert. Coop came up behind Phoebe, placing his hands on the tops of her shoulders - hoping to calm her. Andy; however, was anything but calm as his panic began to overtake him in the moment. Why the hell were all these future visitors acting like they had something big to hide? Something that most likely involved the return of his wife or even the future of his family.

"She's not stuck in the past," Future Chris tried to intervene, hoping to diffuse a situation before it blew up. "She's ... "

"Chris!" Future Piper and her stern warning came across.

"Mom, I know," Future Chris defended himself. He turned back to his younger aunts. "Look, there's just certain things we can't say because future consequences can ..."

"Why don't you just cut it with all the crap talk and answer the damn questions!" Andy shouted, finally cutting into what he considered a completely dysfunctional conversation. He was now the one standing directly in front of the future visitors, addressing them all as a group. "You're talking in circles," he directed at Future Chris. "Now, let's try this again the right way. I ask a question and you answer it. Period! Is my wife stuck in the past?"

Future Molly continued to fidget, her fingers fiddling with her necklace. Her pacing picked up in the background as she fought off an inner struggle within herself on whether or not to just let it slip out. Future Chris just met Andy's hardened glare with his own.

"Is my wife stuck in the past?" Andy repeated again, the look in his eyes and the sound of his voice intense.

"No."

"Good - that wasn't so hard. Is she stuck in the future?" his next question followed.

"No."

"Will she come back?" Andy's interrogation of him continued.

Future Chris shared a quick look with his mother and she nodded back at him. Looking down, he released a heavy sigh before answering. Once again, he met with the angry face of a younger version of his uncle. "Yes. Happy now?"

"No!" he shook his head. "But it offers me some reassurance."

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Future Molly brought her hand up to her mouth - doing her hardest to choke back the sobs that were threatening to break free as she broke from the group and ran for the door leading out of the attic. All of this was becoming too much for her, she was suffocating, she needed to breath, and she needed to get away from everyone. Future Piper shared a look with both of her grown children - letting them know that she would be the one to go and make sure Future Molly was alright. Her quick strides brought her out of the attic shortly after Future Molly had departed in her own hurry.

**X**

**(Future - 2029)**

After registering the shock and deciding she was really the one at a disadvantage - Piper gave in, opting to believe their story for the time being. Little Wyatt had finally released his shield after his mother told him it was alright to do so. What other option did she really have with the children by her side? She didn't want to put them in harms way any more than they needed to be - and besides - what if they really were stuck in some version of the future? Whatever had transpired in the Underworld with Gideon, definitely went beyond anything she had ever experienced at the hands of evil during her entire time as a Charmed One. So, now, she walked down long stretches of underground passage ways - following closely behind the three young women claiming to be adult versions of her nieces.

Nieces who were from a future that hadn't arrived yet.

"Where exactly are you taking us?" Piper demanded to know.

"Somewhere safe," Prudence answered vaguely.

Looking up at the light now streaming in through the drainers, Piper passed on a questioning look. "Um, something wrong with using the real world to get there?" she nodded in the direction above them.

"We don't go up there! Ever!" Laura's voice hitched.

The small group stopped, Prudence turning around and taking the lead to address their younger aunt - who was from a past that was now gone from inside their time-line.

"Look, there are alot of things that are just different now," quickly - she glanced in little Wyatt's direction. However, Piper had caught it. "We can't live in the real world anymore," she stressed. "Neither can any of our kind or the mortals that refuse to serve _him_," her tone seethed with a distinct hatred.

"It's dangerous," Laura backed up the explanation.

"Yeah, the best thing to do is just follow our lead for now," Julie explained - her tone a little less defensive now that she believed that Piper was actually herself. "We'll do our best to explain the rest once we get there."

"Dangerous? And who's this, _him, _you're talking about?" Piper couldn't help but ask. She didn't like where she suspected that was leading.

"Like I said," Julie stressed again. "We'll explain it all better once we get back to the safety of the shelter."

They resumed their journey and Piper walked the rest of the way in complete silence - tending to the kids and only breaking her silence if her presence required putting the future nieces questions and fears to rest. After about fifteen more minutes of walking through passages that looked perfectly identical to each other - the group came upon a solid wall. Piper arched her eyebrows. Great, now where were they suppose to go?

"Um, a dead end?" Piper asked.

"No!" Laura smiled.

She watched in amazement as Laura stretched her hand out - running it over the solid wall and manipulating the solid structure. A large hole, creating an entrance into a large expanse of underground dwelling that stretched for miles forward, opened up for them to use.

"Okay," Piper mouthed. "Now that's pretty impressive."

"Thanks," Laura smiled again.

"Laura's form of telekinesis allows her to move and manipulate the structure of anything solid," Julie explained. "Mine lets me manipulate liquid molecules."

Everyone walked inside. Piper guided each of the kids through and then watched as Laura used her hand to seal the hard cement behind them. There was no longer a visible entrance or exit into this place they had just entered. Rows and rows of make-shift beds lined the inner walls. There were cauldrons set above wooded fires - being used as both a source of heat and to prepare meals to eat. Piper watched the throngs of people coming and going - children and their parents interacting together, as if this lifestyle were completely normal. Suddenly, there was another little girl who spotted Molly with Piper and she ran up to them.

"Do you like my dolly?" the child, with the light brown spiral curls, thrust forth the old and raggedy-looking doll at Molly; it was full of dirt and grim. The doll was definitely in need of a serious wash and this other child looked like she could use a bath too.

This underground world resembled families who were living like squatters.

This action scared Molly and she cried out - grabbing around Piper's waist and hiding her face at her side. Piper offered her some reassuring words to calm her. After giving the other little girl a smile, they continued swiftly along their journey. Confused by Molly's strange reaction, the other little girl just shrugged, running off quickly - back to rejoin her family members. Prudence and the others ushered them along as quickly as possible and soon Prudence was pushing apart a huge drape tacked up to the ceiling. After they entered the area, they were inside a separate room - one attached off from the main dwelling.

"P!" two other little girls occupying the room ran up to hug her.

The youngest was blonde - reminding Piper of someone and the older one looked much different. She carried a louder shade of darker, brown hair.

"Did you find Auntie Molly?" the brown-haired one asked.

"Not yet, peanut, but we will," Prudence answered the little girl. "Auntie Molly has a very important job to do which keeps us all safe." She sighed, trying to hide the worry in her eyes, as she turned to address Piper. "Okay, this one right here is Christie," she introduced the little brown-haired girl, patting her head.

Christie offered a shy smile and light wave. "Hi."

Piper smiled back. She had pieced it together now. "It's nice to meet you, Christie."

"And this little mischief maker is Penny," Prudence finally introduced the last one.

"Hi!" Penny waved and offered a big smile - flashing some missing teeth.

"Christie's ten and Penny just turned seven."

Piper smiled. This little girl looked just like her - Billie. These were clearly Billie's children and two of Prue's grandchildren - clearly by the looks and introductions. Although, she was taking a guess that the oldest child might take more after whoever her father might be. After thinking about it for a moment - it suddenly dawned on her to wonder just where Billie was? Looking around, she didn't see her anywhere around here.

"Not here!" Prudence ordered, shaking her head adamantly.

That damn empathy, Piper thought. She must have picked up on her feelings - which in turn led to her thoughts about Billie. Actually, the more she thought about Billie and now Prue, the more worried she became. If these people hadn't come across her sister, which it definitely appeared like they hadn't - then where in the hell was she? Had they been separated after being sucked into that stupid box - and if so, how were they separated and why? Where had Prue gone?

"Listen, Christie? Penny?" Prudence addressed the children. "I have a big favor to ask of you. Why don't you take them with you and show them how to play for a little while?" she referenced little Molly, Wyatt, and Chris. "Just until the grown-ups are done talking."

They both nodded and reluctantly, Molly began to follow them. Penny reached out her hand, it being completely unknown to her that this was actually a child version of her own aunt that she was now offering her hand to. Molly took a hold of the hand - turning around, she looked back at Piper once more. Little Wyatt and Chris followed as Christie led them away.

"It's okay, I'll we waiting right here," Piper reassured Molly when she caught her childish look of uncertainty. It obviously wasn't easy for Molly to trust - not after everything that had already transpired in her young life.

Prudence, Julie, and Laura gathered around Piper when the coast was clear.

"Alright, spill it!" Piper ordered first. "What's going on here?"

"Well, I'm guessing the first thing you're probably wondering is why everyone isn't here with us?" Prudence opened up. "Everyone like Billie ... or even yourself."

Piper's eyes widened, her head nodding to affirm it. "The thought did cross my mind," she admitted.

"Well, " Prudence hesitated. "That would be ..."

"Because you're all dead!" Julie finished for her. "All of you. Aunt Prue, Aunt Paige, mom, you, and most of our fathers. Even Billie."

**X**

**(Present - 2007) **

Future Piper went in search of Future Molly as the young woman had bolted out of the attic in a hurry. After a quick inspection of the second floor - which brought back an old feeling of euphoria from a time when things seemed right with the world, or at least much better, she quickly discovered that her niece had to have made it down to the first floor level.

"Molly?" she called out, making her way downstairs.

After taking another quick look around, Future Piper found her way into the conservatory - noticing the glass doors leading into the patio were opened. She knew her journey to find Future Molly had just come to an end. While walking through the manor, the bittersweet memories of her former home had quickly overwhelmed Piper; however, she could fully understand why all this would be even more difficult on her grown niece. Exiting through the glass door and walking past the flower beds, she could make out Molly sitting on one of the lawn chairs. She was staring up into the sky - admiring the luster of the stars.

"Molly, honey?" she called out again - walking directly to her. "Everything alright?" She knew the question was just a common courtesy, born out of love and concern. It didn't really warrant a real response because Future Piper knew the answer already.

After Future Piper took a seat on a lawn chair right beside her, Future Molly acknowledged her aunt's presence with a sad smile.

"It's been such a long time since I've even noticed the stars," Future Molly voiced - still leering at the vast expanse of dark sky spread out everywhere above her. "We take it for granted, you know," she sighed. "Tomorrow, it can be all gone. It will be gone for us."

Future Piper reached out an arm - gently rubbing against Future Molly's back in a comforting manner. "Uh, yes, I do know," she acknowledged with a sad, reflective smile of her own. She turned her attention up towards the stars as well. "Time, along with age, and the wisdom we acquire from it all - teaches us to appreciate what we have when we have it. But we do need to be careful here," she reminded her.

"I know," she nodded sadly. "But would it be so bad?" she turned to face her aunt. "I mean, I know we're bound by all these rules and the consequences they could bring if broken, but if we could change the things that would make it for the better, would it really be so bad?"

Future Piper sighed wearily. "Oh, Molly," she reached over, putting her arm around her and pulling her closer. "What's meant to be will be. But consequences that come with changing the future - even if what we think we're doing is for the best, can really make other things back-fire. I can't recount how many times that I wished, prayed even, and cursed the heavens for us to be able to change things and make them the way we swore they ought to be. There were so many things in my own life that just seemed so unfair."

"But everything happens for a reason, right?" Future Molly countered, in a mocking manner. "Maybe we're here to make things different - to make it the way it's really suppose to be? Honestly, I don't see what we have to lose at this point. Could it really be any worse than it already is back in our time where we come from?"

"Maybe not," Future Piper relented. "But let's just wait and see."

They shared a smile with each other.

**x**

Future Chris and Future Melinda stood with each other at the podium - the same podium that was home to the new and improved Book of Shadows. It was opened up in front of them; Future Chris had gone looking in search of a way to help fix this mess.

Across the attic, Andy and Billie remained vigilant at Past Prue's side while she remained unconscious - a cold compress pressed against the side of her head from where she had slightly bumped it after the fall. Both Phoebe and Paige had left the attic only shortly after Future Piper and Future Molly had departed. They were determined to find a way to resolve the sudden suspicion that would arise from their recent absence from jail. The guys, Leo and Coop - had decided to go with them.

"Chris, this isn't going to work!" Future Melinda kept her voice low, as he scribbled down a spell. "A spell didn't get us into this mess - it's not going to get us out."

"Mel, we have to try something. Standing around here doing nothing is not doing anything to fix this and we need to get back to the others before they find out something's wrong," he countered.

"Something is wrong, Chris!" her eyes bulged, as she threw out her hands to show-case the mess they were in. "We're stuck in the past with no way out. Besides, you heard mom. The aunts are going to need those stones Gideon has to help fix this."

Future Chris looked her square in the eye. "Hey! If we don't get ourselves out of here, the aunts are going to have more than just Gideon to deal with. We still have Wyatt to worry about, remember?" he pointed out, making sure he wasn't overheard by the others across the room. "Something they still don't have any idea about. So - are you going to stand there arguing with me or are you going to help me out?!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Fine!" she spat. "But if we fail and get caught - or by some freaky chance make things worse for ourselves - you get to explain this to mom!" She snatched the paper with the spell on it from him.

Future Chris and Future Melinda turned to address the others.

"Uh, hey listen, Billie? Uncle Andy?" he called to grab their attention. "Mel and I will be right back. We're just going to go and see what's keeping Mom and Molls," he lied, referring to both his mom and then Future Molly by her nick-name. "And the others," he pointed back over his shoulder in the direction leading out of the attic.

Andy and Billie both silently nodded their heads in acceptance and watched as the two future visitors left in quite a hurry. The room was deathly silent after their departure - and more than a little bit awkward for Andy and Billie. Andy glanced over - trying to find the best way to break the ice with her.

"So," he broke in. "Do things normally get this strange for you guys when you fight demons?" he inquired. "I mean, relatives from the future?" he snorted in disbelief. "I thought I'd seen and heard it all!"

Billie grinned. "Well, yes and no," she volunteered. "I mean, yeah, you could say things definitely get weird around here when it comes to the whole demon fighting thing but it's something we just deal with," she shared. "And it's not like there's a choice in it - it's just who were are and what we do. Now, the whole visits from the future thing, haven't really run into that. This is kind of a first for me." Then she shot her attention down at the young, dark-haired teenage girl that was sprawled out beneath her. "But, I think I have to say, this is definitely the weirdest it's gotten for me," she admitted.

Andy followed her line of sight down to Past Prue.

"Actually, weird doesn't even begin to cover it," Billie re-evaluated. "This is just mind boggling. I'm looking down at my teenaged mother!" her face contorted in disbelief. "What is she - like a year or two younger than I am right now?"

"Seven-teen," Andy immediately volunteered the information. "Prue would have been seven-teen that year. I went off to college and she went into her senior year." He sighed, it was a sigh filled with deep regret. "I don't know. Maybe if I had been a little bit more persistent in finding out what was wrong - maybe things would have been different," some of the self-guilt slipped into his tone.

Billie felt a wave of sympathy flash through her. "Well, you couldn't have been very helpful with something you just didn't know about," she offered. "Besides, from what I can make of it, I don't think she ever held any animosity towards you over it. And if it helps, I had a good life for the most part. Christy's disappearance was the only major bump in the road."

"Right. Which leads right back to here," he pointed the blame back at the life-style in which they were all destined to lead. "See, that's what I'm talking about. If I had stuck around, things like that could have been different. Innocent people ended up paying with their lives."

"Wait, you're blaming yourself?" Billie was a bit surprised. "She never even told you about me. And from what I know now, she never even knew she was going to become a witch - none of the sisters did," she reasoned. "The demons came after Christy because of me - it had nothing to do with you."

"The demons came after your sister because we put you in the position to make it possible," Andy countered regrettably. "And in the end, it doesn't really matter that I didn't know or whether Prue's grandmother made her go through with the adoption - none of that changes the simple truth. Prue and I weren't around so other people paid the price."

"Whoa, now that's scary! I think you're starting to sound like me?!" Billie cracked - thinking about all the times she blamed herself for Christy's dilemma.

Andy smirked and then Billie jumped when she felt Past Prue stir.

"I think she's waking up!" Billie panicked - pulling the cold compress away from her.

Andy moved to have a look.

"Uh, what are we even suppose to say to her?" Billie wished that Phoebe or Paige would hurry up and get their butts back here.

A few groans and grunts escaped between the lips of the seven-teen year old before Past Prue completely opened her eyes - staring into the bright blue ones of the blonde above her. She flinched a little bit - slightly taken aback that she was in such close proximity to this stranger. The last thing she remembered was a group of people, weird people, claiming to be relatives from some distant future. After waking back up, she had been positive that she would discover that she had only been dreaming the whole thing up - sure that she had only been asleep.

Her eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" Past Prue demanded to know.

Billie's eyes darted around, meeting Andy's, and then finally settling back onto the determined face of such a young girl. A cheesy smile fell into place.

"Uh, your daughter?" she bit down on her lips.

Past Prue's eyes grew bigger.

**x**

Phoebe paced the length of Piper and Leo's bedroom - with the bedroom cordless phone pressed up next to her ear.

Paige, Leo, and Coop all watched, waiting anxiously for the discussion to finally reach its end. Paige tried to keep pace with Phoebe, doing her best to try and listen in on the whole conservation taking place from both sides. Leo stood with his arms crossed near the bed-post and Coop leaned back against the vanity, nervously tapping his fingers against it.

"Yes, we understand that, Agent Murphy," Phoebe could be heard pleading from her end of the conversation. "Please, we just need at least twenty-four hours, give us the twenty-four hours, and then we'll think of what to do next if we still need more time," she bartered.

Arms crossed, Paige leaned over. "Don't forget to ask about the security images - in case anything was caught on camera?"

Phoebe waved her away. Paige just shot her a silly face in return.

"Oh, and do you think you might be able to do anything about the security cameras?" Phoebe inserted. "Just as a precaution?"

Leo and Coop shared a look from across the room.

"Uh-huh," Phoebe murmured.

Still listening closely, Paige moved to join Leo. She released a deep breath - one she had been holding in for the duration of the phone exchange.

"Uh-huh," Phoebe repeated. "We got it! Thanks, Agent Murphy, we definitely owe you on this one," she ended the phone call. Releasing her own intake of air, a huge sigh of relief, she turned to the others. "Okay, that bought us a little time. He's going to draw up a federal warrant - if anyone asks questions or if Richardson comes nosing around - he's going to cover and say Andy released us into his custody for questioning over the whole club incident. So that'll help explain away why none of us are there in lock-up."

"How much time?" Leo asked for clarification - even though he had heard bit and pieces of the discussion that Phoebe had with the Agent.

"Twenty-four hours, tops!" Phoebe confirmed.

"Twenty-four hours?" Paige cracked. "Something tells me we won't even get a location on that Box and those Stones in twenty-four hours. Never-mind getting everybody back to where they're suppose to be," she stressed.

"Well, twenty-four hours is all we got," Phoebe repeated. "So we better come up with something fast."

"Still, we should focus on the fact that it's something to work with and better than nothing at all," Leo tried to offer. "Plus, we aren't really alone in this. The future kids are here too and Piper's still technically with us - even if it is another version of her."

"Yeah, uh, creepy - a much older version of her," Paige cracked again. "It's weird - in alot of ways over the past five and half years, even before Wyatt and Chris came along, she always struck me as the motherly type. Now, when looking at her, it feels like she actually is my mother instead of just my sister."

"Yeah, well, I just wish our Future Piper was able to be a bit more helpful," Phoebe added. "Even with the name of those things," she stressed in reference to the Vicarian Stones, "we're still starting from scratch. Not to mention, we have young Prue to worry about on top of everything else. If anything happens to her - it can effect our entire present. And Billie's."

"Yeah, and how weird is that?" Paige reflected on that particular part of the unexpected visitation - a visitation actually caused by Gideon this time around, not them. "Everyone else comes from the future but Prue comes back to us from the past, pregnant with Billie, and with no powers to protect herself." However, Paige re-thought about her analysis and then made a face. "Wait, on second thought, it's not all that weird. Substitute the kid inside her, and she's exactly in the same position she was before she left," she cracked. "Only now about twenty years younger," she nodded her head dramatically.

Phoebe snorted.

"What do you think it means?" Coop's curiosity got the better of him.

"At this point," Phoebe shrugged. "Who knows."

"Anyway, problem number one down for the moment," Paige interjected.

Phoebe nodded. "And number two to go," she added. "Waiting for us upstairs," her next head nod went in the direction of the ceiling.

"We should probably get back with the others," Paige suggested.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Everyone turned to look. Billie was at the entrance.

Phoebe greeted her instantly. "Billie, hey, how's it going up there?" she asked, knowing that she had remained behind with the others.

Billie walked in, arms folded across her chest. "Well, it's going," she cracked. "The future kids left the attic a little bit ago to go and find Future Piper and my new, little, big sis. Oh, that, and your big, little sis - but my younger mom - just woke back up," she reported to them. "Andy, or shall I say, my father - is up there with her right now."

"Oh!" Paige groaned - bringing her hands to sides of her temples. "Enough with the _bigs _and _littles_ to describe them. It's giving me one major headache just thinking about it," she complained mildly.

"I'm sure you'll live," Coop laughed - finding some small amount of humor in the confusion surrounding the entire switch.

"Alright, let's get us all back together," Phoebe instructed next. "We need to start figuring this out and we're probably going to need their help to do it."

Everyone filed out of the bedroom.

**X**

**(Past - 1988)**

Prue's eyes scanned over the content pertaining to the last diary entry, the same diary entry dated for October 2nd, 1988.

_Dear Diary,_

_Life really sucks right about now. I feel fat, ugly - I swear no guy is ever going to want to look at me again because of these stretch marks. Mrs. Jenkins is nice and little Christy is the cutest. Actually, I never thought about what being a mother would be like until these past couple months with her. I know that sometimes I've acted like one for Piper and Phoebe but this feels different. So that's why I'm going to write this letter - I'll leave it in the back of this journal until the time is right to give it to the Jenkins. One day, hopefully they'll give it to her and I want her to know that I didn't just not care and that I really really thought about what it would be like to keep her. I wish things could be different but I'll just put it all down on paper for her. The time is close - I know it's coming. I feel scared and happy to get it over with all at the same time._

_Oh yeah. I was going to let it be a surprise but changed my mind at the last doctor's visit. I did find out for sure that I was having a girl. Grams was thrilled to hear it. I would never have guessed for that reaction - especially since she pushed so hard for this adoption to happen. Weird! I really don't get her sometimes. Anyways, now she'll be born this month._

_Hope she doesn't hate me._

_Signing out,_

_x Prue x_

After closing the journal, Prue's curiosity had gotten the better of her so she had reopened it to read some of the journal entries, including the one she had just finished reading now. Next, she flipped through the pages, all they way to the back of the journal - in search of the same letter that the entry spoke about. Finally, she came upon a folded piece of paper stashed inside of the crevice. Pulling it out, she hesitated - then unfolded it and started to examine it carefully. Suddenly, she heard voices approaching.

"Shoot!" she spat.

Thinking fast, she shoved the letter into her back pocket - dashing for the closet door found in the bedroom. Hiding herself inside of there, there were small slits in the door and she could vaguely make out the woman who had just walked in. Prue assumed her to be Mrs. Jenkins - like the diary spoke of - and with her was a strange man she didn't recognize.

"I'm sorry you had to come out of your way today, Mr. Stafford," the voice of Mrs. Jenkins addressed the man apologetically. "Prue's just not feeling too well lately - probably has alot to do with being at the end of her pregnancy," she excused the teenager's absence.

"It's quite alright," the man's voice assured the woman.

However, Prue watched the man's peculiar behavior. He walked with his hands folded behind his back - carefully inspecting the entire layout of the bedroom. Prue immediately picked up that she didn't like this man - in fact, her sensors usually shot up like this when she was confronting demons in the past.

"Okay, Prue, we need to get out of here!" she whispered to herself.

The man's next stop was in front of the closet and his demeanor visibly stiffened. Did he know she was in here? Could he see her? Suddenly, and very surprisingly, a name popped into her head - Dumain. He was pretending to serve as her tutor - she had sat with this man several times throughout her time here completing her studies; however, he was clearly a threat to her. He was here for her - really here for the baby and that's all he cared about. Prue didn't know how this knowledge appeared inside her mind but it had and it almost did so in an empathic or telepathic short of manner. Suddenly, she found herself wishing to be out of this place and back at the manor. Surprisingly enough, as soon as the thought had crossed her mind, blue and white orbs materialized swiftly carrying her away.

Prue reappeared inside what appeared to be the attic of the manor.

"Okay, wow!" she cried out, placing her hands against her expanding waist-line. "That had to be you - because I know it wasn't me!"

Prue was just grateful to be away from the more immediate threat. This - Dumain, someone who on closer reflection sounded familiar, had been mere seconds away from blowing her cover. Hadn't Billie mentioned that name before? Prue remembered, yes, he had been the same demon responsible for helping the Triad abduct her sister Christy, the sweet little girl she had mentioned inside her own journal. Her first instinct was to head straight for the podium normally housing the Book of Shadows; however, she quickly remembered that it wouldn't be found there. In fact, the attic remained completely sealed off from the rest of the house during this period in time - she and her sisters believing there was no possible way inside.

Where had Phoebe found it?

Using her eyes to scan over the entirelayout of the attic, they landed on a chest located against a back wall - in an area not too far away from the podium. Her strides took her there and after kneeling down before it - she lifted the chest. After moving some stuff around, her eyes finally landed on what she sought.

The Book of Shadows.

There, on top of the cover, the triquetra symbol flashed - standing out.

Prue lifted herself up - bringing it back over to the podium. "Okay, where is it? I know you got to be in here somewhere!" she spoke out loud.

She thought back to the time that she and her sisters, Piper and Phoebe, had been brought to the past. It was during their first year as witches and they had been brought back in time to prevent a pact made with a warlock named Nicholas. Their mother had made the deal, in exchange for their lives; however, upon their return home - a spell had been created by their mom and Grams for that specific purpose - to create a successful return. Prue and Piper were nothing but small children at the time and Phoebe hadn't been born yet.

"Come on, come on - I know you're here!" she pleaded. Prue flung through the pages at full-speed. Suddenly, she landed on the exact page she sought. "Here we go." She took one last deep breath, releasing it - before she began reciting the spell.

_"A time for everything and to everything it's place; return what has been moved, through time and space."_

Prue shut her eyes tightly - waiting for something to happen.

Nothing did. She repeated it again.

_"A time for everything and to everything it's place; return what has been moved through time and space."_

Damn it! Why wasn't it working? Prue had been so distracted and focused on the task - she hadn't even heard the sound of the door opening or noticed the figure approaching from the dark shadows within the distance. Frustrated, she threw her hand against her forehead, leaning on one elbow that was supported against the podium. Her hands then moved to cover her face.

"It's not working! It worked before!" the muffled sound escaped Prue's voicebox.

"That's because that spell doesn't work without the poppy seeds!"

The loud, authoritative tone threw Prue off guard and she jumped. Glancing up in the direction of the figure just a short distance in front of her, she gasped.

"Grams!"

**X**

**(Present - 2007)**

The voices of Future Chris and Future Melinda were drowned out behind the bathroom door found on the second floor of the Halliwell Manor. They had been gone for quite a while now and knew the others would be wondering about their whereabouts.

_"A time for everything and to everything it's place; return what has been moved through time and space!"_

Future Chris recited and Future Melinda watched. Chris then opened his eyes to the sight of Melinda still in front of him - both meeting the stare of the other; however, nothing had changed. Future Chris hadn't felt himself move through time and Melinda hadn't witnessed it happening either. They were still inside the bathroom. The plan was to see if Chris could get back to their time - if it worked and the spell didn't automatically include the others and transport everyone back - Melinda would stay behind and let Future Piper and Future Molly know. Future Chris promised to get back to the others and then together they would try and find a way back in time - so the rest of them could help deal with Wyatt - who would also still be stuck in the present.

"Maybe it's the damn poppy seeds?" Future Chris made a crack.

Future Melinda shot up from her seated position on the toilet cover. "Forget it, Chris!" she groaned in clear agitation. "It isn't working and it's not going to - just like I knew it wouldn't! I don't care how many damn poppy seeds are in that spell."

**x**

_Ding- dong!_

Everyone, everywhere in the house, was alerted to the sound of the doorbell.

**x**

Future Chris and Future Melinda immediately exchanged a look. Their instincts mirrored that of each other. This most likely wasn't a social call.

"Company? This late?" Future Chris's eyes popped out, not believing it.

Future Melinda just shook her head. "Probably not."

"Come on," Future Chris advised.

Both siblings left the confines of the bathroom - heading in the direction of the first floor.

**x**

At the sound, Paige's head shot up from the book she was currently engrossed in - one of the books she had acquired from the Magic School. She was trying to dig for any information that she could on these Vicarian Stones. Phoebe stood beside her - reading from one page in the Book of Shadows, her arms crossed over her chest. She was the first one to ask what everyone else was thinking.

"Who's that?"

Andy was already walking in the direction of the stain-glassed windows, peeking outside to see if he could identify anyone outside the manor this late. However, it proved to be a difficult feat - the dark night providing very little visualization to see much of anything. Andy and Leo had both taken Past Prue down to "their" bedroom to try and keep her calm - and to also urge her to get some rest. After she had managed to fall asleep, they returned to the attic. Coop remained with the rest of them - he was another one feeling extremely on edge with all the revelations that had come to light. The three men had been assisting with the clean-up, due to the mess caused by the table being thrown across the room earlier. During the middle of it, Leo had been called away, orbed out of the attic. Everyone wondered if this was connected to his suspended Elder status? Could he possibly be getting his powers returned to him? His return was anxiously awaited.

"I can't make out anybody," Andy reported, discouraged by that fact. However, he had a sneaking suspicion who it was and he didn't like it. Turning around, his determined strides led him in the direction of the door. He was prepared for the confrontation.

"Andy, where are you going?" Phoebe interrogated.

"Downstairs. I think I know who it might be."

"Who?" Paige questioned.

"One guess!" Andy threw back.

Phoebe and Paige moved to follow - Billie did too but then Phoebe intervened.

"Billie, why don't you go check up on Prue - I mean, your mother," she suggested. "Stay upstairs with her and keep a close watch."

"Sure." Billie nodded as everyone departed the attic.

**x**

After hearing the doorbell, both Future Piper and Future Molly were about to make their way into the foyer when they caught sight of the man darting at a quick pace down the staircase. They identified him almost immediately - it was Andy, or Inspector Trudeau, but also Future Molly's father. Future Molly felt herself stiffen but she relaxed when it became apparent that he was preoccupied with something else - answering the door. She wasn't ready for a confrontation with the past version of her father.

Future Chris and Future Melinda were close on his trail - as were Phoebe and Paige. They all heard the loud yelling that began on the other side of the front door.

"THIS IS THE POLICE. OPEN UP RIGHT NOW!"

Immediately recognizing the voice, Phoebe halted on the stairs - flinging out her hand and signaling for Paige to stop as they both turned around and tip-toed half-way back up the stairs to remain out of sight. Future Chris and Future Melinda watched and then both exchanged looks with Future Piper and Future Molly as they walked over to join each other.

"Sounds like somebody did something to really piss them off," Future Chris snorted, folding his arms back over his chest. "Somebody here want to let us in on what that something was?" he addressed the others from the present time-line.

"Does it matter?" Phoebe hissed from across the staircase - ducking and hiding with Paige from plain sight.

"Yeah! I just want to be prepared if we're all going to be hauled off into lock-up tonight," he quickly countered. "Because sharing a cell with Bruno, the two ton con-man, doesn't exactly appeal to me or to my health for that matter."

"Chris, just shut-up and play along!" Future Melinda nudged her brother.

The loud banging continued. "DO YOU HEAR ME IN THERE?! I SAID OPEN UP!"

Molly felt shivers run up her spine; that voice almost sounded - familiar. Andy hesitated a few moments before finally giving in and opening the door. He held the knob - a satisfied smirk in place - as he purposely stalled, hoping to grate on the other Inspector's nerves.

"What can I do for you, Richardson?" Andy swung the front door to the manor open, a fake grin plastered in place.

Future Molly froze. She stared.

"What can you do for me?" the other Inspector practically roared. He barged into the manor past Andy - his officers following closely behind. "You've just hindered an investigation and broken the law, Inspector!" he accused Andy.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Andy denied.

"Don't play games with me, Inspector," Richardson hollered. "I don't know how you did it - but I want the Halliwells returned back to that jail cell right where they belong. All of them. If you don't - I'll see to it personally that you have your badge stripped and that you face charges for obstruction," he threatened.

"Oh. Will you now?" Andy mocked Richardson - confronting him head on. The smirk never left his face and he folded his arms over his chest. "I would be careful, Inspector," he practically spat out at the other man. "Because I may not be the one that finds himself out of a job when this is all over."

"Are you threatening me?" Inspector Richardson's eyes narrowed.

"You take that any damn way you want to," Andy's voice hitched - a tone that signaled he meant business. He did not like this man and he made no attempts to hide it anymore. "There's nothing I can do, Inspector! It's out of my hands! Do we understand each other?"

Suddenly, and rather unexpectedly, Future Molly lunged at the Inspector who was involved in the confrontation with her father. All shock eyes turned to watch the scene that was about to unfold.

"You son of a bitch!" she dove at the man.

"Molly, don't!" Future Melinda pleaded. It took both her and Future Chris to yank her backwards before she could physically assault the man. Luckily, they were able to react in enough time before it had reached that point or even worse, beyond that, with magic.

Phoebe and Paige's eyes widened from behind the banister.

"I'm going to kill him!" Future Molly continued to shout as her two cousins struggled to get a firm grip and pull her back.

"No, you're not!" Future Chris countered. He knew exactly why the man had set her off and as soon as he had her, he reacted. "Let's get out of here!" He communicated that message directly to his mother with his eyes. "Now!"

Future Piper moved to assist. "Molly, you need to calm down."

Shocked, Andy's attention remained solely on the future version of his youngest daughter while the others were visibly restraining her. Richardson, just looking for a reason to stir up more trouble for the Halliwells, intervened.

"Now, hold up just a second. I can have you brought in tonight, young lady," Richardson threatened, making it a point to straighten out his tie. "For trying to assault an officer of the law while in the course of his duty. Who are you people?" he demanded, addressing the four strangers he had never laid eyes on before.

Future Chris sneered back. "The hired help."

Future Piper got a strong grip on her niece and was about to disappear into the next room when a voice traveling from behind the opened front door grabbed the attention of everyone. Everyone turned around to look at the approaching newcomer.

"What seems to be the problem here?" the voice intervened.

It was Agent Murphy.

Stopping inside, Agent Murphy turned to address Richardson. "Inspector Richardson, I presume?" he smirked at him. He shoved a piece of paper right at him. "This is a federal warrant - signed, sealed, and delivered by a judge. Tonight." He stressed to Richardson. "We're looking into the club fire as possible terrorist activity; therefore, we have complete authority to retain the Halliwells in our custody. This gives it to us. Therefore, Inspector Trudeau and any other officer acting in accordance with this," he nodded down at the warrant now in Richardson's hands, "are protected under the law."

Andy flashed the other Inspector a huge, self-satisfied, grin.

Richardson's eyes narrowed when he caught it. "This is bull!" he accused. "No judge got himself out of bed this late for this."

Agent Murphy shifted his glance between the two Inspectors.

"I don't know what kind of funny arrangement you've got going on here with the Halliwells," Richardson shook his finger at Agent Murphy, "but you can be sure that I'm going to get to the bottom of it. That's a promise."

Future Chris interjected again. "Well, Inspector, just be sure to get to the bottom of it on your own time and stop wasting ours."

Inspector Richardson stormed out of the manor - angry and even more fired up than he had been before. Phoebe and Paige, sighing with relief that it was over for the moment, arose from their hidden location and resumed their walk back down the stairs.

"Agent Murphy, that was quick?" Phoebe addressed him. "Thanks."

"Yeah, well, I called in some favors," Agent Murphy volunteered. "Which means, you owe me some in return. Big time! But I advise you get going - twenty fours isn't going to hold that guy off for long." He turned around to leave when he remembered something else he wanted to share with them. "Oh, yeah?! By the way, my people did some more digging on him. Apparently, he was an Inspector some time back - worked on a big case around here some time ago - the Devlon murder case?"

Coop shifted uncomfortably. Phoebe tensed beside him too - she could feel his uneasiness shooting straight through to her from her power of empathy.

"Yeah, well, I guess he took some time off for awhile," Agent Murphy continued. "He was institutionalized at one period in time - due to a very severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from serving in Vietnam. Along the way, he experienced some serious bumps in the road - lost his job, promotion, and even his family some time ago. Turns out, his daughter worked on the force for awhile too - before her death about a couple years back. Inspector Sheridan," he dropped the bomb that made everyone freeze. "His ex-wife left him, remarried, and the new hubby adopted the kids. Explains the different last names," he shared. "Just thought I'd let you know."

"Thanks," Andy nodded at the Agent.

Agent Murphy exited the manor and all eyes shot to the group huddled close by. Everyone was both curious and concerned about Future Molly's reaction; however, the bombshell relating to Inspector Richardson's connection to Sheridan threw them all for a loop. Paige remembered the files that she and Piper had uncovered from his office not too long ago and while it hinted at an interest in Inspector Sheridan - never had she imagined this type of revelation. And the hits just kept on coming - harder and harder.

The small group was now huddled together.

"Molly, you okay?" Future Melinda's concerned voice turned to her cousin.

"Yeah, yeah - I'm fine!" Future Molly nodded her head emphatically. "Really!" she stressed again after catching the looks of everyone around her. She took a few deep breaths - engaging in some breathing exercises to calm herself back down.

"Well, I think it makes sense why Richardson has it in for us now?" Phoebe opened up to the group. Paige nodded in agreement.

"Why - what happened?" Coop interjected.

"Well," Paige began. "For starters, she died here at the manor. Killed would be more accurate."

"By a demon," Phoebe elaborated. "Zankou."

"Yeah, and in his own sick and twisted way, he must blame us for it," Paige surmised.

"Well, wouldn't you be suspicious?" Phoebe countered, playing devil's advocate. "It's not like there was a body to recover. Homeland Security covered it up." She snorted. "Of course, after she came nosing around here for the hundredth time because she couldn't mind her business."

"Like father, like daughter!" Paige cracked.

Andy, who was standing directly across from an older version of his daughter Molly, couldn't help but stare at the beautiful young woman she had become. Feeling his gaze, Molly shifted on her feet, feeling completely uncomfortable under his scrutinious stare.

"What?!" she shot over at him.

"Nothing!" Andy denied, shaking his head, and then broke himself out from the daze. His curiosity went straight back to her reaction a few, short, moments ago when they had encountered Inspector Richardson. How did she know him personally? "But mind telling us what that was about just a moment ago," he changed the subject back to her earlier reactions. Both of them. "Because I'm getting the feeling it might be connected to why you stormed out of the attic earlier."

All curious eyes shot to her - Phoebe, Paige, and Coop.

Future Chris, Future Melinda, and Future Piper were about to come to her rescue when they were suddenly confronted with a much more pressing matter. Something the family members existing in the current time-line weren't prepared for. Within a quick flash, dark purplish orbs materialized into the manor - along with Sarah and a stream of other demons.

"No! But I mind!" the loud authoritative voice that commanded obedience interrupted - putting everywhere standing around the first floor on high alert.

All the Halliwells - past, present, and future - turned around to face the new intrusion. Phoebe and Paige just stared in shock; Andy and Coop wore masks of confusion that were directed towards the new arrivals. To the dismay of the future Halliwells, once again, they were now standing face-to-face with their blood rival.

Evil Wyatt.

"What's going on?" Phoebe's voice was strained.

Evil Wyatt sneered. "Well, actually, the answer to that question is quite simple," he mocked her.

"And what would that be?" Paige narrowed her eyes in at someone she never expected to lay eyes on ever again and she watched Evil Wyatt's sneer get bigger.

"You're moving out!" There was a brief pause. "And we're moving in!"

The sneer disappeared and a hard glare replaced it.

* * *

**To Be Continued: **Okay, that's the end for this chapter. I hope you found that entertaining and I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I can. Don't forget to press the button and review because I love your feedback. It's been great - any questions feel free to ask.

**~Heather~**


	41. OFFICIAL HIATUS

**Important Author's Note:**

Hi.

I known it's been months since I've updated; however, life has just been crazy for me for over the past year. There was the fire, numerous computer issues, and just recently I encounterd another personal health crisis (a lump under my arm above my breast). It turned out okay, not cancerous; however, I've recently made the decision to place both of my Charmed stories on permanent hiatus until further notice.

Sorry, I apologize to those of you left out there who may have been waiting but the truth is I haven't watched **Charmed** in ages. I've lost heart in writing it for the time being and over the course of this year tried to force myself numerous times to finish, which I just couldn't do. Personally, I feel there was a waning interest anyway since the lack of reviews for the recent chapters was beginning to reflect it. I hate leaving things unfinished, I really do, but if I go ahead and shove something together and throw it out there just for the sake of finishing - quite frankly, I know the work will just suck. And I hate that even more than I hate not finishing.

Honestly, life has just thrown me some curve balls I'm trying to work out and with that my interest has taken me to new places. I have two other works (non-Charmed) that I will be focusing on because my inspiration has shifted there right now. If and when I feel up to it again (inspired) or if I feel there is still enough continued interest here at **Charmed** fanfiction, I will give consideration to continuing with it once again. But, for now, I'm officially giving it a break and giving that news to you.

Thanks again for those of you who did follow me for a long time. Don't know if you're still out there but just needed to offer the gratitude to those of you who tried hard to review each chapter once you hopped on board.

*Big hugs*

**Heather**


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